


Spilled Milk

by beauzane_ID2001



Category: Cut & Run - Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux
Genre: Accidental Baby Acquisition, Adoption, Baby, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-10
Updated: 2017-01-20
Packaged: 2018-05-13 02:09:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 26,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5690530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beauzane_ID2001/pseuds/beauzane_ID2001
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ty and Zane are getting a baby. This is a series of vignettes of their life with the baby.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Set some time after Part & Parcel so there are vague spoilers for that and all the books before.

“Special Agent Grady?” Agent X said. “I have an unusual assignment for you and Special Agent Garrett.”

“Yeah?” Ty asked, getting excited. “We’re not supposed to do field work, but what do you got?”

“I overheard you and Special Agent Garrett talking about adopting.”

Ty blinked. “I’ve got two kitties and I wasn’t planning on more. Or else Zane’s gonna call me a crazy cat lady again.”

“I meant a child, Special Agent Grady.”

Ty pulled the phone away to stare it. A kid? “Well, we’ve talked about it, but without really meaning it. Just idle thoughts, ya know?”

“Do you think you and Special Agent Garrett would be able to make it serious?”

“I would have to ask Zane.” Ty wanted to twitch himself out of his skin. They’d talked about it, sure, but Ty never thought they’d actually do it.

“We have come into possession of a child that we would like placed with someone we can… supervise.” Agent X continued. “You and Special Agent Garrett are the nearest possibilities we have.”

“Supervise? Why us?”

“It’s a favor to a fellow agent who died in the line of duty.”

“And there’s no family to take the baby in?”

“It’s mother and father are dead and their families can never know the infant exists.”

Ty felt himself falling into the story, despite the fear of the possibility of becoming a parent. “That’s sad.”

“Yes. So please discuss this with Special Agent Garrett and have him call me back as soon as you two have made a decision.”

“Wait, how old is the baby? And why can’t I call you back?”

“It is 8 weeks. And because Special Agent Garrett will have further questions.”

The phone beeped as the call ended.

“Fucker,” Ty mumbled at him. “Garrett!”

“What!” Zane’s voice drifted up from somewhere downstairs. Might have been the basement and no way was Ty going down there.

“Come back up here, I need to talk you!”

Ty could hear Zane grumbling as he thumped up the stairs.

“What did you need, dear?” Zane drawled.

“The Company wants us to adopt a kid,” he sounded as stunned as he felt, saying it out loud.

“They want us to what?” Zane’s face may have lost a little color, or it might have been Ty’s imagination.

“They have an 8-week old kid they want us to take in. And I’m freaking out a little here.”

Zane reached out to touch Ty’s arm, slowly lacing their fingers together. “We have talked about it before- “

Ty opened his mouth to cut-in, but Zane continued.

“I know this is different. And yeah, I’m going to have a freak-out in a minute. But what kind of information did they give you?”

Ty repeated what Agent X had told him and Zane stepped away to get his phone out the minute Ty stopped talking. “What?”

“I have questions.” He brought to the phone to his ear to continue. “Hey, yeah I have questions. What kind of paperwork are you going to give us for this kid? … Is The Company making any provisions- … This wasn’t our idea and we’re not prepared for this. … Yes, we’ve discussed it, but never seriously.”

Ty watched as Zane started pacing up and down their living room. He looked much more aggravated than Ty had guessed. Maybe the idea was starting to hit him? Ty interrupted Zane’s next circuit and ran his hand down his arm.

“I understand. We need to discuss this further and will get you an answer by the end of the day.” Zane stabbed at his phone to end the call and Ty could hear Agent X’s tinny voice as it ended.

“I can see that went well.”

“Yeah, basically The Company will give us legal paperwork for the adoption, connect us with social services, and then we’re on our own.”

“Okay,” Ty drew out not following why this was bad.

“It means that they expect us to do this. Period. Without their support and likely consideration. It means that we will still be information broker and they will still ask you to give training sessions. Think about that and bringing a child into that, Ty.”

That took Ty aback. “You mean they’d be bringing spy stuff into a home and business with an infant? A defenseless baby?”

“Yeah Ty, it does. If we do this, we’ll be completely responsible for their safety and wellbeing. And part of that will be dealing with the baby spies.”

Ty was almost afraid to ask, “What will they do if we don’t take it?”

Zane rubbed a hand over his face. “Not sure. Maybe find someone else? It’s not like a puppy they might have to put to sleep.”

Zane finally sank onto the couch and looked at Ty. He looked so tired and a little nervous.

“Can we do this, Ty?”

“I dunno, Zane. I want to. I never thought I would get the chance and we’ve never really talked about doing it.” Ty sat next to him, but didn’t look at him as he added, “I was afraid maybe we never would.”

Zane’s hand gripped his knee. “I know. Me too.”

Ty looked up into the dark eyes that he could get lost in and saw all the love and fear he was feeling. “Maybe we can try?”

Zane snorted a laugh. “You don’t try to have a kid. It’s forever.”

“Well if you were a girl we could _try_ to have a kid.” Ty tried not to laugh and failed miserably when Zane’s brow rose. “I know, I know!”

“Let me call Agent X, while you call your mom and tell she’s becoming a grandparent again.”

Ty nearly fell off the couch, he’d forgotten about that part. “Ma’s gonna kill us for not warning her.”

“Well we didn’t know either.” Zane shrugged as he got up to make the call.

“Right, cause that’s gonna save my ass,” Ty grumbled as he searched for his phone. He shifted on his seat as the phone jabbed him in the butt. He huffed and called his mother. “Hey Ma.”

“What did you do?” Mara immediately asked, bypassing any greeting.

“Why did I do anything?” Ty flailed a little, indigent.

“You never call without having done something.”

Ty spluttered a little before conceding that that might just be true. “Well we did do something. Rather unexpectedly.”

“What? Don’t make me pull it from you.” Ty imagined her waving a spatula at the phone, wishing she could bop him on the head with it.

“We’ve agreed to adopt a baby.” It sounded more like a single word than a sentence, but he said it. Out loud. He was going to be a daddy. “Oh holy shit.”

“Congratulations to me. And Ty don’t freak out.”

“Ma,” he could only say, not admitting that he sounded like a little boy again.

“You and Zane agreed to this?”

“Uh huh.”

“You two think this one out?”

Ty nodded, before saying, “A bit, yeah. We’d kinda mentioned it before, like in passing. And just now we talked a little.”

“When’s this baby getting to you?”

“Uhhh… Hang on.” He lowered the phone. “Zane!”

Zane’s head popped around the corner. “What?”

“When are we getting the baby? And what’s its sex?”

“Next week, pending an interview with family services and boy.”

“Thanks.” He pulled the phone back up. “Next week. Oh and it’s a boy.”

“Oh good Lord in Heaven. At least he’s not actually related.”

“HEY!”

His mother started howling with laughter at him.

“I wasn’t that bad,” he mumbled.

“If you want I’m sure we can all get you two set up and ready for this baby by then, if you want the help.”

“I’m sure Zane’s gonna look stuff up, but I know I can call you if we need something.” He cleared his throat. “Thanks Ma.”

“You too, kiddo. Talk to later.”

“Bye.” He lowered the phone. That was it. He was officially going to be a daddy. Of a little baby boy. Wow. The fear finally fell away with the giant grin cracking his face. When Zane finally came back into the room and sat with him, Ty still couldn’t shake the idiotic grin, but it didn’t matter since Zane started returning it.

“We’re going to be daddies, Zane.”

“We’re going to be daddies.”


	2. Chapter 2

Zane watched Ty bustle around trying to straighten an already straightened living area. He’d already nearly killed himself trying to assemble the crib earlier. He still had the Band-Aids on three fingers to show for it. The social worker had said she was coming by today and Ty was freaking out. Now that they’d settled on their decision, neither of them wanted it to be taken from them. Granted, he wasn’t sure that the social worker really could since the CIA was essentially ordering them to take in the child. Zane wondered what they’d do if the social worker decided that they were unfit parents.

Ty did one more lap around the living room, fussing with a picture frame that was crooked only in Ty’s mind and then plopped down next to Zane. “How do you think this is going to go?”

“I have no idea. But remember that thing I said back in Scotland about you being a mute?”

Ty nodded, warily.

“I meant it.”

“But- “

“Ty you have strange ideas about child raising. Keep those to yourself, please. Although I really wonder if she can even actually prevent the adoption. The Company set the whole thing up.”

Ty grunted and then got up to pace some more.

“It’ll be fine,” Zane tried to reassure him. “We have everything already. We got signed up with a parenting class.”

“I can’t believe we have to do that. We’re going to be surrounded by pregnant women.” He almost shuddered.

“Really, Ty? Scared of pregnant women?” He started to flail about their weird bulging bellies, hormones, and possibly something about breast milk, when the doorbell rang. Ty turned a very aggressive looking finger on Zane.“You did that on purpose!”

“Yes, Ty. I love to watch you freak out about pregnant women,” he said, deadpan. He had totally done that on purpose to distract Ty and watching him flail about was always fun. He rose. “I’ll get it. You. Stay.”

“I’m not a dog, Garrett.”

Zane laughed as he went to get the social worker. She turned out to be a medium and slightly nondescript black woman of middle age. She smiled politely as he showed up.

“This is my first same-sex adoption interview,” she admitted as they reached the living room.

“We’re not that different,” Zane said before casting a look at Ty, daring him to say anything to that. He rolled his eyes but remained mute. Like promised.

“What made you decide to adopt?”

_The CIA made us an offer we can’t refuse_ , he thought. “Honestly, it was just time. We’d both been thinking the other would make a great parent and when this opportunity arose, we had to take it.”

“Yes, I understand this adoption was done through a private agency, out of state?”

Zane nodded.

“Okay. I see you’ve both signed up for the parenting classes, which we require. Good.” She continued down her paperwork, mumbling what appeared to be a checklist to herself. “Can I see where you have set up the child’s room?”

“Yes, we just finished setting it up today. This whole thing happened really fast, so we had to rush a few things, but everything is ready for Robin to come home tomorrow.”

They all trooped over the bedroom next their own that he and Ty had made up for the baby. Green walls, white shelving, and changing table Deuce had shoved at them with a comment that sounded dreadfully like, “Good riddance.” They had some stuffed toys packed in a basket, again mostly cast-offs from Amelia, since they wanted to see what types of things he’d like.

“Oh, you have a name for child? We don’t have one in the paperwork.”

“We just settled on it last night.” She didn’t need to know that part of picking the name had them nearly thrashing the other senseless wracking their brains for a good name, until Ty said something about being a sidekick again. “Robin Elias Grady-Garrett.”

“Robin? That seems a bit unusual.”

“We have a history related to Batman and we both loved Robin Williams.”

“Oh. Well that’s a lovely name.”

“Thank you. Ty has decided he’s going to call him Bobby though.”

She smiled, not exactly with humor, but humoring him. She looked around the room, taking in the covered outlets, running her hands over the corners on the changing table, and rattling the crib slightly.

“I had to fix it,” Ty suddenly cut in. “The directions had that front part falling off, even though it’s supposed to slide down. It would just fall off.”

“It slides down?” He pointed to the latch and she slid the front down. “Good job, then. It works perfectly.”

She checked a few more things around the house, noting that Zane had picked an excellent model of bottle warmer before generally giving her approval of the physical location.

“You look physically well prepared. Did you have help?”

“A little. Some google, some of Ty’s brother’s help and a little from his mother as well. His brother has a three old and it looks like they’re in no rush to have another.” “That’s good that you have help. What kind of child care arraignments are being made?”

“We own the bookstore in Fells Point, a few blocks away. Brick and Mortar. If he’s being unusually fussy or scaring the customers one of us can always bring him back home.”

“That does make it easier.” She glanced down at her notes, then looked up appearing nervous. “Can I ask if Robin will have any maternal influences?”

“Ty’s family is pretty close and his mother will be anxious to meet her grandson. We don’t have a lot of close female friends in the area. Also we’ve been given to understand that Robin’s biological family is deceased.”

“Okay.” She fidgeted with her notes again before saying, “I am unclear how child raising works without a female influence, but I also understand that it is not detrimental to the child’s welfare. So, I suppose I’m approving the adoption.”

“Thank you.” Zane wanted to growl at the woman, but she was approving it.

Ty could barely contain himself and Zane could count down to the implosion if he didn’t get her out of there now. “Let me show you out. Is there any other paperwork you need from us?”

“Oh, no. Just have the program fax us the completion certificate for the parenting class when you’re done and we’ll close the case.”

“How fucking dare her?” Ty started as soon as Zane returned. “I _suppose_ I’m approving you. Fuck you, lady!”

Zane just let Ty rant, since he wanted to spout a few choice curses himself, but… “At least it is an approval from the small-minded bitch.”

Ty deflated. “Yeah. We get to keep him when Agent X drops him off tomorrow.”

*****************************************

Agent X appeared in their private living space the next evening. Ty had just finished laundry for the day before nearly slugging Agent X. The bundle in his arms was oddly silent.

“What did you do to him?” Ty nearly snatched the baby from Agent X.

“Shh!” he hissed at Ty. “I just got him to quiet down.”

Ty quieted and looked down at the bundle more closely. Typical baby wrinkled face, which snuffled a little in a tiny snore. Ty was gone. He held out his arms to Agent X, who very carefully passed the sleeping baby to Ty. Bobby snuffled again before letting out a very loud snore and Ty had to try so hard not to laugh. He was so busy staring at this tiny little human he was now responsible for he almost missed Zane stepping up behind him.

“He’s okay?”

“Sleeping. Did you hear him snore?” Ty whispered back to Zane. Zane smiled before looking back down at the sleeping infant.

“That’s really him, huh? We’re really doing this?”

“Yep. And you’re not giving him back,” Ty hissed back, clutching him just a tiny bit closer.

“No, I won’t.” He looked up, opening his mouth to say something, then shrugged.

“What?”

“He’s gone. I was going to thank him, but he left.” Ty looked up to see the space Agent X had filled empty. He was afraid to shrug back for fear of waking the baby. Hell, he was afraid to move to fear of waking the baby. “Hey, baby, can you bring me a drink? I’m afraid to move.”

Zane chuckled before moving off. Ty heard him bustling around in the kitchen, but the noise faded into the background as he stared at Bobby. Flat little nose, tiny clenched fists, just a dusting of dark hair. Maybe he’d have dark eyes like Zane. He felt Zane looking at him and looked up.

“I knew you’d make a great dad,” Zane whispered walking closer. He held the water bottle to Ty’s lips for him to take a drink. “I’ve never seen anything so beautiful as you looking at our son.”

Ty felt his cheek burn, but he couldn’t help the goofy smile. “He’s perfect, Zane.”


	3. Chapter 3

Ty pulled the pillow down tighter around his ears as the baby screamed again for what had to be the hundredth time that night. “Didn’t we just feed him?”

The screaming continued with no response from Zane. “Make it stop, Garrett!”

Nothing changed so Ty reached out to shove Zane out of the bed, but met only empty bed. The pillow slipped off his head as sat up. Then the screaming got louder. He groaned aloud again. “Why did this sound like a good idea?”

He’d just finished grumbling when Zane, holding the squalling infant, came back into the bedroom.

“Why did you bring the loud thing closer?”

“Because he’s dry. We just fed him and I’m out of ideas.” He jiggled the baby up and down a little, but the screaming did not end, or even lighten. Ty held out his arms as Zane lowered them both into the bed. The screaming didn’t stop. No magic touch from Ty was going to end the noise, he guessed. So he started jiggling the baby up and down, closer to almost throwing the baby in the air. He’d seen some babies liked that. Right?

Zane snatched him just as he went up again. “Don’t throw the baby, Grady. We wanted it, so please don’t kill it.”

Ty snarled. “Then get it to shut up!” The noise was really starting to get him. They were just lucky Robin hadn’t started while Ty had been dreaming of the desert. There was no telling what flashback Ty would have found himself in with that screaming as a background noise.

“Maybe if either of us had breasts?” Zane tried, looking so unsure of himself. He held Robin almost at arm’s length with a look of complete confusion mixed with fear. Ty understood. He did. He didn’t want Bobby in distress any more than Zane did, but the noise…

“Zane, please take him away for a little while. The screaming is really starting to make me angry.” He spoke as calmly as he could, since the screaming was starting to rattle his brain. No flashbacks. Yet. But that screaming was too like that of a suicide bomber. She’d brought her infant with her.

Zane looked at him, surprised, but got up immediately. “Text me when you’re clear headed. Or we’ll come back when he’s cried himself back to sleep.”

Ty nodded, not willing to risk speaking anymore as a vise had wrapped itself around his throat and fear might have him saying something he’d regret.

The rocking started as soon as the screaming started to become fainter. His thoughts pinged around in his head as the screaming faded out. Suddenly, this was the worst idea ever. He couldn’t even make it a whole night with a screaming baby before his PTSD kicked in. What the fuck were they going to do? Would he get used to it? Was it just the fear of not knowing why Robin was upset?

Ty didn’t know how long he’d sat curled up before Zane reappeared with the no longer screaming baby.

“Ty?”

“Huh?” He jerked from his spiraling thoughts.

“Back with us?”

“We can’t do this.”

Zane shifted Robin in his arms a little before coming to sit with Ty on the bed. He held out a hand to Ty, letting Ty make the move. Ty clasped it like a lifeline.

“What happened?”

“It was like the screaming was bouncing around in my head and I couldn’t hear anything else.”

“It’s new. And that was unnerving. For me too, Ty. I don’t know what was wrong.” His voice seemed to catch a little, before he looked away from Ty. “He could wake up and start again. And I still won’t know what to do to make him stop. You’ll get used to it. I guess.”

Ty shrugged, not optimistic.

“Should we call Deuce?”

Robin hiccupped, and looked like he was about to start up again. Looked like Ty was going to be getting more exposure therapy now. And he did. Robin flailed his little fists around as he cried and cried and Ty wanted to smother him. Then the tiny little fist reached out for him. Ty stuck his finger out for him to grab onto and he may have still been screaming, but at least Ty didn’t want to completely smother him anymore. Mostly.

********************************************************

Zane glanced around the bland church meeting room. He had experience with this particular one, as it housed the AA meetings he usually went to. The inhabitants of it this morning were very different. In fact, there wasn’t a single other male in sight, unless one counted the blue blanketed bundles. His and Ty’s lack of breasts weren’t the only difference of course, as they also had carried the occasionally screaming baby from their row house to the church and was not folding down a stroller like the other women with babies. There were a couple whose bellies screamed “This kid is going to explode out of me at any point.” He was catching Ty’s fears again. That and having Aliens flashbacks. He shuddered.

Ty grumbled behind him. “We’re going to be sacrificed to feed the monsters.”

Zane laughed and then noticed all the mothers were staring at them. He nearly held Robin up in defense.

A woman giggled, another groaned quietly, then someone Zane guessed was the class leader headed towards them.

“You must be Mr. Grady and Mr. Garrett.” She held out her hand to shake as Zane made proper introductions. “And who is this lovely baby?”

The lovely baby in question chose that moment to start screaming. Again.

Zane started to apologize, but the woman simply held out her arms and Zane slowly handed over the noise machine. “He’d been doing this since last night. We don’t know what’s wrong.”

But the baby stopped crying as soon as she picked him up and held him upright like a sack of potatoes.

“How did you do that?”

“Sometimes they just want to see and being huddled up against our chests restrict their vison. Do you have a pacifier?” she asked as he started mouthing her finger.

“Um…”

“That’s a no. Let me see if I have a sample or an extra one we can give you.”

They nodded, mutely.

“Thank you, um…” Ty started.

“Oh! Call me Carla. Do you want me to watch this little man for you?” She started turning away towards the chairs, so they just followed along. Zane felt a little like a boat being pulled along in a wake.

“Ladies, these two have just adopted their first child- “ she stopped realizing she’d never gotten his name.

“Robin-“ Zane said.

“Bobby,” Ty said at the same time.

Carla blinked, then continued. “Robin or Bobby. And will be starting the parenting courses. If any of you would like to help them, feel free after the class.”

Zane could have sworn she had a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. He glowered. She coughed and then started on the course material, all while holding Robin quietly sucking on the pacifier.

They were taught about basic nutrition and Zane was pleased to see his quick research online had been good. Then the class was over and the women descended like a plague of locusts. And Carla ran off somewhere with Robin. Ty’s eyes suddenly got huge and white and Zane was afraid of someone touching him. He didn’t think his instakill would go down too well with assault on a mother or pregnant woman. They nearly clung to each as the women all bombarded them with questions.

Then Ty started answering the basics: “We’re married. Yes, to each other. 3 years, together for 3 or 4 before that. It was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up, but a sudden one.” Etc.

The women were drooling and Zane could nearly see it collecting on the lips of one mother-to-be. But Ty’s natural charm was not to be deterred. Robin was finally returned to them with some handouts from Carla.

“He was starting to smell a little, so I went ahead and changed him for you since you didn’t seem to have a diaper bag. Also make sure to read those over and come back with any questions.”

They nodded. Then Ty added, “Diaper bag?”

“That duffel Deuce has.” Zane wanted to smack himself in the forehead for forgetting about that. “We need to carry extra diapers and toys and stuff.”

Ty’s face went blank before taking on the expression that mirrored how Zane felt. Then Robin started screaming again, almost losing the pacifier.

“I think we need to get him home. It’s about time for another feeding.”

The women all groaned in unison. It really was creepy. Then they made their escape.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: potentially gross content. Robin is a baby. Something happened in his diaper.

“What the fuck is all over Robin?” Ty was scrambling into the bathroom holding Robin out in front of him like a, well, bomb. There was a strange greenish-brown smear from Robin’s neck to his ankles.

“It smells, Garrett! Get this thing off him!”

“What the fuck is it?” he tried again, coming closed until the smell smacked him upside the face. “Oh god!”

“Yes!”

Ty grabbed a towel off the floor of the bathroom, which might actually have saved Zane from being chewed out for it, to place under the filthy baby. Then they just stood there staring at this shit-covered baby.

“What do we do now?” Ty asked.

Zane shifted then pulled a knife out of the wrist holster. “I guess it’s a good thing I haven’t been able to break the habit. I’ll get the nasty clothes; you get the pee thingy.”

“Right.”

Zane had just started slicing down the front of the sleeper when Ty reappeared with the pee shield. He cut down the front and then up the legs, before pushing the fabric clear. “Ready?”

Ty held the cone just above his crotch as Zane sliced the diaper off. Ty placed it just in time.

“I swear he’s actually a Grady.”

“What does that mean?” Ty skipped neatly out of Zane’s way as he nearly ran to sink to wash his hands.

“You seem like the type that probably pissed on your mother all the time.”

“Asshole. Move I’m putting him in the sink.”

Zane jumped out of the way as Ty whisked Robin into the sink and started rinsing him off. He screamed, rejecting being clean.

“Sorry, Bobby. Too hot?” Ty fiddled with the handles, but Robin continued his loud protests.

“Want me to find the pacifier?”

“I don’t think it matters. He’ll stop when we’re done.”

Zane wondered if that was true, since Robin seemed to do nothing but scream at them. Absolutely nothing. He cried about the normal things, being hungry or needing a change. But he cried when he was tired. He cried when he just woke up. He cried when they traded. He cried when he was given back. The pacifier was about the only that seemed to quiet him down. He was starting to wonder if they’d gotten a defective baby.

Zane scooped up the soiled mess. “Are we saving any of this?”

“Fuck no. I’m gonna burn it.”

“I’ll just put it in the trash.” By the time he came back Robin was laid out on the changing table, naked but clean. “I think I know what happened.”

“What’s that? Also, never do it again.”

“Yeah that was an experiment we’re never doing again. I got some leftover breast milk from one of the ladies in the parenting group. Figured we’d give it a try. Must have upset his tummy.”

“Isn’t it supposed to be good for babies?”

“I thought so. Maybe since he’s been bottle fed for so long.” Zane shrugged helplessly. “I’m gonna go throw the rest out if this is result.”

“There’s still more?” Ty fastened a new diaper on before looking his son over carefully. “I’m not putting clothes on you. You might still be loaded.”

“You’re probably right. Should we prop him up or something so he doesn’t wind up with –“ he gestured in the direction of the nasty clothes “In his hair again?”

“Shit, Zane?”

“If we keep saying ‘shit’ that’s going to wind up being his first word.”

Ty started laughing.

“Yeah you laugh now. When we’re at your parents’ and he’s in the high chair chanting ‘shit, shit, shit’ I’m going help your mother beat you.”

“Shit!” Ty started giggling and then full-on laughing. His body curled in, he was laughing so hard. He started gesturing like Mara with a wooden spoon, sputtering something that might have been “spoon.”

“Ty.” Zane started to laugh too. Ty’s laugh was always infectious.

“She’s gonna kill us anyway! Shit!” he said through giggles.

Zane pitched his voice high and chanted “shit” over and over just to see Ty nearly fall over while wiping tears away.

“You’re right though, my Ma is going to kill us if his first word isn’t ‘dada’.” Ty sniffled and wiped the last the of the tears from his eyes. He scooped up Robin. “You hear that, you're not going to say ‘shit’, you’re going to say ‘dada.’ What do you think? Dada?”

Zane huffed quietly just watching Ty interact with their son who was for once not screaming, eating, or shitting.

“We don’t really care what you call us. But isn’t ‘mama’ and ‘dada’ the first words all you babies learn? You don’t have a mama though. Sorry about that, buddy. I think she might have been real brave, but she didn’t make it. So you’ll just have to call us both ‘dada’ until you can speak well enough to figure that out on your own.”

Ty bounced Robin, who then giggled. Ty nearly dropped him before making it another bounce. They’d never heard him laugh. Robin giggled again.

“Zane.”

“I hear him,” he said, pulling his phone out of his pocket, hoping he could record this before the screaming resumed.

Ty held him up and made airplane sounds while Robin giggled some more. But as usual, it was too good to last as about 20 seconds after Ty started played, Robin started screaming.

“I’ll go get the pacifier.”

“No, it’s feeding time. Bring me a bottle?”

“You got it.” Zane listened to Ty trying to calm the baby as he checked in the warmer and found the next bottle of formula. “No more explosive shit, Robin.”

As he was rounding the corner Ty yelled in pain.

“You little shit! OW!”

He ran into the room only to see the weirdest sight he’d ever seen. Ever. Robin was being yanked off of the Ty’s nipple.

“He bit my nipple!” He smirked a little. “I have been made into ‘Mommy.’”

Zane nearly hurt himself laughing. He waved the bottle in Ty’s direction while he cracked up. Ty snatched up the bottle.

“Here you go, little shit. This might actually feed you.”

Zane sniggered. “Also, Ty. Shit?”

“Yeah, I’m giving up. He’s got like 6 months before he understands that anyway.”

“I’m blaming you.”


	5. Chapter 5

Zane tripled checked the instructions on the car seat and then tugged at it a little. It didn’t wiggle too much. He fiddled with the seat belt again finally hearing the tell-tale click of the seat belt locking. He tugged at the car seat again and this time it didn’t move at all. The Mustang’s back seat wasn’t roomy and leaning over the front seat as it folded was not especially comfortable, but it was better than trying to fit in the back of his truck. His truck didn’t have any back seats. Maybe they should consider trading it in for something easier to install a car seat into, like an SUV. There was no fucking way they were buying a mini-van.

“Your mom needs to watch him for an entire day!” Zane yelled over his shoulder as he tried to force himself back out of the car.

“All ready, darlin’?” was Ty’s only reply. If he smirked at Zane, Zane couldn’t see it as he was still hunched over.

Zane grunted in reply.

“You ready to meet your grandma, Bobby?” Robin cooed in reply. “She’ll love you and spoil you and give me a hard time for not getting there sooner.”

Zane’s back cracked loudly and he sighed. “She knows we couldn’t get away before now.”

“Don’t mean she’s not gonna give me hell anyway. It’s like her favorite sport.”

“And yet, you usually deserve it. This just means she’ll leave me out of the scolding.”

“Jerk.”

“Yeah, you get to put Robin in the seat. You need the directions?” Zane waved the paper in his direction, knowing Ty was going to refuse.

“Nope. I can manage. I _have_ done it before.”

Zane had forgotten that Ty used to watch Elaine enough that he would’ve had to buckle her in before. Ty bent over into the backseat and all Zane could see was Ty’s ass in the air. He wanted to grope so badly, but one: they were in public, two: Robin. He muttered to himself about Mara watching the baby again. He needed to get laid.

Ty coughed a little before backing out of the car. “Keys?”

Zane tossed them to him before climbing into the passenger seat. He glanced back at the baby and baby things. “I don’t think this car has been this full since the last time Sidewinder was in town.”

Ty snickered. “Think we can get in as much trouble as then, too?”

“God, I hope not.” Zane started laughing quietly.

“Oh come on!” he tried to protest, but his voice was shaking with laughter.

“The only trouble I want to find involves a quiet room and no baby.”

Ty stopped laughing and his smile shifted into his crooked grin. He glanced at Zane quickly before looking back to the road. “I could find that kind of trouble.”

Zane coughed and glanced back at Robin before the tone of Ty’s voice could make him anymore aroused. Ty’s voice had lowered with just that hint of growl he got when he wanted to maul Zane. That would be all it would take, but they were in a moving car with a baby.

The drive to Bluefield was uneventful, if long. Zane refused to take the car seat back out of the car when they stopped to change his diaper and get some air. So Ty just tucked Robin under his arm before shoving the trash at Zane. As they came around the curve that led onto the gravel drive, Zane let out a breath. He wasn’t afraid of Mara being upset that it had taken them a whole two weeks to get down there, he mostly wanted her reassurance that they were parenting well. The constant crying had slowed, but Robin still cried several times a night and nearly every time he was set down, whether it was for a nap or just because they needed both hands. He had hoped that it was just some kind of baby grieving and that it would go back to something normal, but so far no luck.

Ty’s sneeze startled Zane out of his thoughts.

“You okay, baby?”

Ty sniffled and nodded. “My nose has been itching for miles.”

“Last time I checked, you didn’t have any environmental allergies.”

“I don’t.” He sounded a little stopped up. “I might be coming down with something. Been feeling that tickle in the back of throat for a couple days.”

“Why didn’t you say anything? We could’ve waited for this trip.”

“Why? This way if it gets worse you don’t have to mother me and Robin.”

Zane blinked and laughed. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Ty said, primly before ruining it by smirking at Zane. “If nothing else it’s a good excuse to get some alone time.”

“I’m holding you to it.”

They pulled to a stop and Mara came out onto the porch to wait. They both waved at her before starting to gather things to get out of the car. She marched right over and shoved Zane out of the way to get into the back.

“How’s my baby?” she cooed as she climbed out with Robin in her arms. She bopped Ty in the back of the head as she walked by. “Couldn’t bring him sooner, my foot.”

“But, Ma!” he protested.

“Hello, Zane. Come give us a hug.” Zane reached down to carefully hug them both as she refused to release the baby. Robin giggled and waved his little hands, reaching for his daddy.

“Hey, buddy,” Zane said, letting him catch a finger. Mara smiled at them both.

“Well I suppose you boys all had to bond.”

Ty grunted at her as he came over with their bags. “We did.”

Robin’s hazy blue eyes started to squint and Zane saw the warning coming. “I think he’s about due for a nap, but he’s going to cry for the next half hour, first.”

As if it was a practiced cue as soon as Zane stopped talking, Robin dropped his finger in favor of crying his lungs out.

“Oh, you poor darlin’.” Mara pulled him up tight to her chest, rocking him. “We’ll get his stuff all set up in your old room and we’ll get him settled down.”

Ty shoved the box holding the bassinet into Zane hands before trudging after her and their screaming child.

It took the full half hour for Robin to cry himself to sleep, releasing all the adults into a blessed silence. Zane sighed. “He does that every time we set him down.”

“That poor child. He lost his family. He doesn’t want to lose his new one.”

Ty glanced at Zane, but didn’t say anything.

“Are we doing this right? Just letting him cry himself to sleep? This has been every time for a week now. Before that he just cried all the time.”

“Some babies you have to let them cry it out like that. If he’s crying because he wants you to hold him all the time, then he needs to learn that that can’t happen. That one,” she pointed at Ty, “was an easy sleeper from day one. It was the last time he was cute.”

Zane snickered as Ty rolled his eyes.

“Deacon was a needy baby. He wanted to held most of the time, but just ignoring the crying when I had to set him down helped. He stopped crying about it in a week or two. Your baby lost everything he knows. I know he’s just a baby, but nothing’s the same for him anymore. It might take him longer.”

Zane almost wanted to cry with relief. “So this might get better?”

“It might. It might not until he gets older.”

“I just want him to be normal.”

“Zane, there ain’t no such thing as normal,” Ty said.

“Don’t I know it,” Mara added. “Babies are all different. There is no ‘normal’ baby.”

Zane nodded, not really wanting to admit that a screaming baby was likely what his future held for the next 2 or 3 years, but acknowledging that it was possible.

Robin insisted on joining them again in a half hour after he fall asleep and Mara hustled up to take charge of his care, after dismissing them.

“I can take care of my grandson for a while, if you two want to get some rest before dinner. Y’all look beat.”

They nodded as quickly as they could, racing up the stairs after Mara had come back down. The mild arousal that had been simmering in the back of Zane’s mind sparked again as he watched Ty strip out of his shirt and jeans. Ty smirked and Zane stripped down to his underwear as quickly as he could. They crashed to the mattress, kissing each other and touching everywhere, before both their hands started to slow into gentle caresses. The kiss became a gentle grazing of lips as the feeling of being horizontal changed from sexual to sleepiness.

Ty nodded. “After a nap.”

Zane nodded back. “Just a little nap.”

Zane startled awake. The light in the room suggested that they had taken slightly more than a short nap, as the sun appeared to be setting. Mara hadn’t come gotten them, so it must not have been dinner time, yet. The hacking cough startled him and he realized that must have been what woken him. Ty rolled and pressed himself closed to Zane, silently asking for a cuddle, even as his back heaved in another cough.

“You okay, Ty?” Zane breathed, in case he was still asleep.

Ty grunted at him, clearly not asleep and grumpy. Zane wrapped his arms around Ty, smoothing a hand over his abs to sooth him.

“Guess you did get that cold after all.”

Ty’s “Uh huh,” sounded absolutely miserable and Zane nearly chuckled at him. He bit his lip to contain it and just cuddled Ty, since he was asking for coddling. “Need me to get you anything?”

Ty just grunted something that sounded negative before coughing again.

Ty sick could be fun experience for Zane, unless he started getting demanding with his misery. Until then, he was just a giant cuddly and miserable puppy. Although this did put an end to the fun activities they had attempted to start earlier.

They lay quietly, aside from Ty’s coughs, together for a while, just enjoying the moment before someone scratched lightly at the door.

“Ugh.”

“I’ll get it, doll.” Zane rubbed Ty’s back a little as he backed carefully out of the bed. Ty’s shoulders hunched. _Poor baby_ , Zane thought. He cracked the door and Mara smiled at him.

“I heard him down stairs. Nasty cough. Does he want anything?”

“You make me that cough tea stuff, Ma?” Ty asked, hearing her even though she’d kept her voice down.

“You want any dinner, sweetie?”

“Not right now.”

“I’ll be right back with your tea, baby. How ‘bout you, Zane? Hungry?”

Zane’s stomach decided to answer the question for him. He smiled a little sheepishly. “Yes, please. I’ll be right down.”

“Alright.”

Zane grabbed up his jeans from the floor before pressing a kiss to Ty’s shoulder. “You going to be okay for a little? I need to check on Robin, too.”

“Yeah, that tea stuff is awesome, but usually knocks me on my ass.”

“Good. Get some more rest and I’ll be back before you know it.”

Ty smiled, a little weakly.

“Poor baby.”

Ty grunted at him and swatted him on the shoulder. “Go away.”

“Sir, yes, sir!” Zane snapped a sloppy salute, just to piss Ty off before running out of the room to beat the pillow Ty threw. He was laughing the whole way down the stairs. On the couch in the living room, he found Earl making funny noises with Robin bouncing on his knee. The little baby was giggling and squealing. It was the first time Zane had actually seen Ty in his father. The noises were almost exactly the same baby noises Ty made to play with Robin and Earl was making the same silly face.

“Oh, and there’s your daddy, Robby. Well one of your daddies,” Earl said, looking up to see Zane.

“Robby? This boy is going to have so many names he won’t know which is his.”

“I have no idea why Beaumont insists on ‘Bobby’ and Robin sounds like a girl’s name to me.”

“Tell that to The Boy Wonder,” Zane grumbled to himself. “Robin Williams was one of my favorite comedians.”

“Mine, too. Tragic what happened to him. You named your boy after him?”

“Sort of. It’s actually related to one of the first nicknames Ty ever gave me. We bonded over Batman.”

“Batman, huh?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Good show. And I liked that first actor, Michael Keaton, was it?”

“Yeah. I loved the show growing up.”

“I don’t know, kiddo. You don’t look like a Robin yet.” Earl turned to Robin. He blew a raspberry at Robin’s belly making the baby squeal.

Mara came in and told them all dinner was ready and that Tyler wouldn’t be coming down as he was drowning with his cold medicine. “That tea is about the only medicine I can give him, poor boy. It’s just an herbal soothing tea with a ton of honey, but it doesn’t make him any sicker.”

Robin was set into a bassinet that Zane had seen Amelia in a time or two. Robin seemed to be okay with just settling down so long as an adult touched him every few minutes, then just as Zane was finishing up, Robin’s face was scrunching up. He got up and cuddled him close. “Hang on, buddy. Let me get a bottle on.”

“I got one in that fancy warmer you got there. All set,” Mara said pointing to a corner of her counter.

“Thanks.” He got the bottle out and Robin’s sobbing eased into something that made it possible for him drink. Zane started pacing carefully out of the kitchen and up the stairs. There was something that always made him want to share this with Ty, even in the middle of night. He preferred to watch their son eat together. Of course Ty’s insistence that he only be woken up for emergencies tended to hinder this. He knocking lightly on the door to Ty’s room before entering. Ty was lying still in the bed, not coughing. Zane settled carefully into the bed next to him, Robin sucking quietly.

Ty’s hand settled on Zane thigh, before he twisted slightly.

“Oh, hey Bobby,” Ty rasped.

“Your dad is calling him Robby.”

Ty snickered slightly.

“He’s not going to need you to make him nicknames. He’s already going by three names.”

Ty’s finger traced over the baby’s cheek, his whole expression softening. “He’ll still earn a nickname or two.”

Zane chuckled. “He’s not going to know his own name.”

“He just gets to pick which version he likes.” Ty squirmed himself into a sitting position in the bed and held out his arms, asking for Robin. “You mind?”

Zane carefully transferred the baby and bottle over, enjoying watching Ty softly crooning to Robin. Even with a sore throat he still started to sing to him. Watching his irascible husband soften so completely when holding their child was something worth marveling over. This baby boy was going to have them both firmly wrapped around his little finger. Hopefully he won’t shoot their oven with a bb gun.


	6. Chapter 6

Ty started to fidget even more before grabbing the phone with a sigh.

“Ty, he’ll be happy for you.”

“Yeah. But will he like Robin?” Ty was terrified of Nick’s reaction to their baby. It wasn’t like he had been adopted to upset Nick or even with Nick in mind, but Nick was still Ty’s best friend and it was important.

“You put it off any longer and he’ll be more pissed that you didn’t tell him.” Zane shot Ty a very pointed look and Ty nearly shriveled inside. Probably not a bad thing to remind him of how carefully their friendship had been reassembled. Hiding things from Nick was not the way to go.

Ty jabbed at the phone and it started ringing.

“Hey Ty,” Nick said. It didn’t sound like Ty had interrupted anything.

“Hey. Uh, do you have a minute?”

“Sure. Grady, are you okay?”

He nodded, then huffed. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just gotta tell you something and I’m not sure you’ll like it.”

Nick groaned. “What the fuck were you hiding now, Beaumont?”

“ZaneandIadoptedababy.”

“Da-what now? Ty, you gotta breathe.”

Ty did so. A deep breath in and a count of three out. “Zane and I adopted a baby.”

Silence.

“Nick?”

“I’m trying to scoop my jaw up off the floor. You adopted a baby?” The shock was clear and then a shuffling sound before Nick’s voice come over the line faintly. “Ty got a kid.”

“Yeah, we did. The Company strongly suggested we take him in.”

“What the fuck were they thinking, giving you a kid?”

Ty snorted. “No idea, man.”

“Garrett, I can see,” Nick rambled on, ignoring Ty. “He’s sensible enough, but you’re fucking insane. And twitchy.”

“Hey! That’s worked in our favor since my rocking rocks Bobby, too.”

“Bobby?” Nick’s voice had risen nearly an octave. “Are you trying to make sure he gets beat up?”

“Well his name is actually Robin.”

“Oh Jesus, Tyler.”

“Hey, it’s a perfectly good name. Just like Bobby.” He was starting to laugh a little at Nick’s complete indignation.

“Fucknuts. Calls their baby Bobby,” Nick’s faint voice said, probably to Kelly who clearly had grabbed the phone to add, “Bobby? What’s wrong with you?”

“He can change it to Rob when he’s older. And just put it on speaker.”

The phone made some rustling sounds. “Fine, since we’re both here. Okay, why do you have a kid, Grady?” Kelly said.

“The Company strongly suggested we take him in, no questions asked.”

“Is he going to murder you in your sleep?”

“Kelly, you’ve been hanging out with Nick too long. He’s 10 weeks old. He can’t even hold his own head up.”

“Oh.”

“Ty, was this a good idea?” Nick asked, cautiously.

“Nope. But it happened and no take backies.” He laughed as they grumbled at him. “We’ve already fallen in love with him, so it might not have been a good idea, but I wouldn’t give him up for anything.”

“Does this mean we have to meet him?” Nick’s voice dripped with concern.

“Yes. And you have to like it. Nick, I need you to be okay with this. It wasn’t something we were thinking about in any serious way, but he’s going to be so important in my life. I know you don’t do well with kids, but Nick….”

One of them coughed. “I never thought this day would come.”

“Yes, we’ll come meet him, Ty,” Kelly said after Nick remained silent. “Can you travel, or do you want us to come to you?”

“Coming here is easier. Traveling with an infant is really fucking hard. We took him to my parents’ last weekend and that was a bitch. You guys are welcome to bunk in the spare room. We’ve got the crib in our room right now anyway.”

Wailing started up in the background and Ty heard Zane shuffle off.

“Crib,” Nick scoffed. “I can’t believe you guys are parents.”

“And on that note, Nick and I will see next week?”

“Sounds good.”

****************************************************

The whole of Sidewinder was invited, but Digger and Owen couldn’t get away that particular weekend, but had threatened to come by the following week. Owen even offered to bring Riley, since she said something about dying to meet the next-generation Sidewinder. So Nick and Kelly were expected to take their spare room and spend a few days hanging out and being domestic with them. Ty was terrified. He put his pacing to good use and attempted to burp Robin.

“He’ll be fine Ty.”

“Nick doesn’t like kids, Zane.”

“And he’ll suck it up for Robin.”

Zane’s eyes followed Ty while he walked. It almost made Ty feel worse, he felt pinned down. It reminded him of the feeling after Zane had gotten his sight back.

There was a knock at the door and Zane went to get it. Nick and Kelly followed Zane back into the living area, shedding coats.

“Hey guys,” Ty said, trying to keep the nerves out of his voice. He pulled the rag off his shoulder, since Robin had burped at least two circuits before. Ty and Robin just found the position and back patting comforting.

“Holy shit, it’s real.” Kelly scurried over to look Robin.

Ty’s offended look stopped him.

“Okay, I know you weren’t fucking around, but still!” He wiggled his fingers. “Lemme see him.”

“Yep, I’m giving up. His first word is going to be a curse word, and it’s not my fault,” Zane grumbled.

Kelly grimaced at him, before shrugging. “It was going to happen.”

Ty angled Robin back down into the crook of his arm so Kelly could see his face.

“Hey there little guy,” Kelly said, softening his voice. He traced his cheek with a single finger. “Okay, hand him over. Uncle Kelly needs a cuddle.”

Ty wanted to refuse so badly. There was only one person, aside from Zane, he wanted to hand his son over to and it wasn’t Kelly right now. But he couldn’t be rude, besides Kelly might get Nick to hold him, so Ty carefully handled his precious burden over. Robin was precious until he started crying. Now Ty was glad he’d handed him over, but then… “What did you do?”

Kelly looked completely annoyed. “I didn’t do anything. This is how you hold babies!”

“Are you supporting his head?”

“Yes!” He wiggled his fingers from behind Robin’s ear. Kelly started bouncing him lightly trying to calm him down, but Robin just cried harder. So Kelly tucked him up onto his shoulder, like he was trying to burp him, so he was wailing into his ear. “What did I do?”

Ty grunted and waved his hand. “He cries. A lot.”

Zane came over and placed his hand over Robin’s bald head and he settled down. Zane stroked him a few more times before slowly removing his hand. Robin sniffled and Zane wiped his nose with the corner of their burping rag. “There, there. We aren’t giving you away. We’re both right here, Robin.”

The proverbial light went off in Ty’s head. “Zane, we need to start handing him to everyone here.”

“He’ll get used to it soon, baby. Look, Kelly’s got him just fine now.”

Ty looked away from Zane to see Kelly wandering around to the room towards Nick, murmuring to Robin and slightly bouncing him. No crying in sight. Ty heaved out a sigh. “We gotta do this more.”

“We will.”

Kelly cooed to Robin while showing the baby to Nick, whose face was rather pinched.

“He’s going to scream at me,” Nick grumbled.

“Probably,” Kelly cheerfully replied. “You haven’t lived until you’ve had a baby scream in your ear.”

“Then I don’t need to live.”

“Oh shut up, and hold the baby, Nicko.” Kelly practically shoved the infant at him and Nick reflexively grabbed at the bundled baby.

Robin didn’t scream or cry. As Zane and Ty got closer they could see Robin’s little face all scrunched up, almost smiling. It might’ve been gas, but he looked happy to see Nick.

“Why do they like me?”

Ty and Kelly both started cracking up. It never failed, animals that knew Nick didn’t like them would just fall in love with him and follow him everywhere. Apparently, it applied to babies too. Zane looked at each man in turn and then rolled his eyes.

“I don’t wanna know.”

Nicks eyes were wide and scared when he looked at Zane. “No, you probably don’t.”

There was no way Robin could be comfortable or feel secure since Nick was holding him as far from his body as he could, like he was a bomb that would go off with body heat. Nick’s whole body was stiff and unnaturally still. Nothing they did was magically going to make Nick okay with kids, but he was holding him. That was all Ty could ask. He knew better than to ask for baby-sitting.

“Nick, he’s not going to go off. Could you hold him a little more securely? Please?” Zane voice sounded a little strained as he stared at Nick.

Nick slowly pulled Robin closer and Ty heard Zane let out a breath. “He’s not going to hurt him, Zane. He’s as safe with Nick as he would be with you or me. Maybe more so.”

Robin shifted a little and Nick thrust the baby back at Kelly. “Here, you wanted it.”

Kelly laughed and then cuddled the little baby who didn’t cry. They talked a little before turning on a game until Robin declared it nap time. Loudly.

Ty crept down the stairs, monitor in hand to Nick, Kelly, and Zane all talking babies.

“I know you don’t like kids, Nicko, but come on. He’s cute!”

“Anything other than agreement, might end in blows,” Zane said, wryly.

Ty chuckled to himself before flopping down next to Zane on the couch. “So… Nick?”

Nick looked a little haunted when he looked to Ty.

“Is this okay?”

“What are you asking, Tyler?”

“Will you still come visit? And watch baseball with me? And stuff?” They both chuckled at his poor phrasing.

“Ty, I’ll always be your friend. And I want to spend time with you, and Zane. Even with a baby in tow. Okay?”

Ty breathed out a big huge sigh of relief. “I was so worried, man.”

Nick almost rolled his eyes. “Ty, you wanting kids is not some weird deal-breaker. It’s not something I want, but I’ll support you anyway I can. So long as you don’t fucking ask me to baby-sit.”

Both Ty and Zane laughed, although Kelly looked scandalized.

“I want to baby-sit!”

“You’re on your own.”

Kelly huffed at Nick then shot him a look that Ty thought might be a version of “We’re talking about this later.” Ty glanced at Zane with a laugh.

“Kelly wants one,” Ty whispered to him.

Zane lifted an eyebrow with a smirk. “Nick’s screwed, isn’t he?”

Ty shook his head and raised his Dr. Pepper to Kelly and Nick. “Here’s to a week filled of fun, shit, and crying!”

They all laughed.


	7. Chapter 7

Owen and Digger took to Robin quickly. They made it easy, even if Zane was watching Digger very closely to make sure he didn’t somehow set the baby on fire. If pinecones could explode in his hands, babies could be set on fire. But mostly the two grown men had fun making faces to the squeals of delight from Robin. Ty even managed to sneak in a nap while they were playing with him. Bastard.

Nick and Kelly had headed back to Boston to do something that didn’t involve Sidewinder, so Zane didn’t really care. So long as they weren’t getting into trouble of the life and death variety, Zane couldn’t have cared less if they needed a break from the baby. Nick still tended to hold Robin like he was a bomb waiting to go off, but at least he only sighed before taking him when none of them could get him to settle for a while. Kelly was calling Nick the baby whisperer. Zane half wanted to pay Nick to stay just so that his ears could get a break, but he knew better. Nick and Robin would be an interesting dynamic to watch as Robin grew up. Zane had found that being around children had helped with his awkwardness around them. Maybe Nick would be okay with theirs with a lot of exposure.

Ty stumbled down the stairs, rubbing his eyes. “How’s Bobby?” he yawned.

“The little man is awesome,” Digger said. He tickled at Robin’s neck.

“Where’d Riley go?”

“She’s getting some food for us. I know you two have your parenting class in a few minutes. At least the little guy should sleep through most of it,” Owen replied.

Ty nodded, sleepily.

“Jerk.”

“Did you want a nap, too? You could’ve come up. They had him.”

Zane tried to convey his desire to not see his son on fire with his eyes. Ty seemed to get it as his eyes flicked to Digger and back with a brief nod. “You almost ready to go?”

Ty grunted, unhappily.

“It’s at the bookstore. The parenting class needed a different location than our usual one this week because the building is fumigating for termites,” Zane added for Owen and Digger.

Ty and Zane started gathering up all the baby paraphernalia they’d accumulated since taking in their son. A whole three weeks and they had toys, bottles, blankets, pacifiers, diapers, and what Zane assumed were bits of Ty’s bug-out bag tucked into various pockets in their diaper bag. They could almost make it through a zombie apocalypse with just the damn bag. And Zane would have to carry it because Ty had fallen in love with those front facing baby slings and couldn’t have the bag bashing into their son’s delicate head.

Ty wrapped the sling over his shoulder and secured it, then his phone rang. “Grady. … Uh huh. … We are hosting our parenting class at the store tonight, so can it wait? … Alright. … You got it.”

Zane arched an eyebrow. Ty shook his head.

“Later.” Ty snatched Robin out for the air after Owen had just lifted him up. “No more flying for you, Mister.”

The baby fussed a little as Ty tucked him into the sling, but quieted down once his pacifier was inserted.

“We’ll see you guys later. Staying here or going back to the hotel?”

“I think we’re heading out. Just waiting on Riley to get back with snacks,” Owen said.

“’Kay, just lock up.”

A cool breeze caught Ty’s hair, throwing it around wildly. It felt nice to Zane, but he worried it might be a little cool for Robin. Ty just pulled the baby a little closer and Zane caught sight of his pink cheeks before Ty’s arm blocked his view.

“The Company wants to do a drop off tonight. Just an info dump. Someone is leaving a thumb drive before we get there and someone else will pick it up during the parenting class. I can slip out for a little to make sure the exchange happens if you can distract the ladies for me.” He smiled his crooked grin and Zane could just feel the “pretty” comment even though Ty didn’t add it.

“Sure. I wish we could avoid this with so many civilians in the room and the baby, but I think I can just start a discussion on breast feeding again.”

“Ugh.”

Zane’s failed experiment came vividly to life again. “Yeah, I’m not going to offer or ask for more. I promise.”

Ty shuddered, then took Zane hand. “It was a nice thought.”

The bookstore was almost stifling when they arrived, the teen neighbor they had watching the front while they were entertaining Owen and Digger for the day looked relieved as they headed over.

“Everything okay?” Zane asked.

“Fine, but I need to get home.”

“Go on, we’ll get everything closed up.” The teen scurried out and Zane set to making sure the computer system was working right and then opened up the security camera screen. The back looked quiet and there appeared to not be anyone lurking around the back alley. Ty started bustling around organizing some misplaced books and pulling some of the chairs closer together for their group. Zane checked the register to start counting out the cash, as they were closing up for the parenting class.

Women starting filtering in, strollers and the occasional male in tow. Seeing the husbands and fathers was always a treat for Ty and Zane as the look on some of their faces made it clear that the men thought Ty and Zane were insane. Every once in a while, they just looked confused like they expected Ty or Zane to turn into a woman at any moment.

Today it looked like the asshole boyfriend was there with his very pregnant girlfriend. He treated her poorly and only came when he felt like continuing whatever argument they’d been having before class. He also was a homophobe. Awesome. This would not contribute to Ty needing to slink away. Ty loved to bait him and Zane only hoped he didn’t take the anger out on the girl.

“Oh, the asshat is here.” Ty’s eyes were brilliant green now. Nature’s warning. Zane just sighed.

“Yes, but remember you need to disappear for the dump.”

Ty’s malicious glint dimmed only a little, before it was back in full force.

“Ty.”

“What?” He tried for innocent and it might’ve worked on anyone but Zane.

“Try to keep in mind that he might take the anger out on her, would you?”

Ty’s eyes narrowed into the dangerous angle that made Zane’s knees weak. Zane always forgot how hot Ty looked when he was about to kill something.

“I’ll be good,” Ty finally huffed.

“Love you.” Zane leaned in to give him a not so gentle kiss, tugging at Ty’s lip with his teeth.

Ty growled a little. “Love you, too.”

One of the ladies coughed and they broke apart. “I was wondering where you wanted the refreshment table?”

Ty grinned and then left with her to arrange things for the class. Zane guessed that meant he was handling the drop. He looked over the monitors again, noticing an envelope sitting in the kitchen room. _Sneaky bastards_ , he thought. He headed over to pick up the envelope and shook out the thumb drive. Ty was right about what they would be passing on. Zane just didn’t know how to get it to anyone, if he needed to check the cameras to see their contact. He leaned against the bar in the kitchen debating grabbing a Yoo-hoo when one of the mothers wandered in. Zane remembered she had a daughter about the same age as their son and that so far she had come alone to classes.

“Can I help you with something?”

“I was just wondering if I could get some water?” she replied.

“Of course,” Zane said, turning to a water cooler that customers normally didn’t see. They did prefer that the customers not come into the back, but since it was a private group, she could be excused. “How long have you been attending this group?”

“Oh, since Sarah was born.” She thanked him for the cup.

“She’s 3 months old, right?”

“Good memory. Yes, she is. Such a handful at this age, huh?”

Zane chuckled. “Yes. I’m not sure either of us has slept well since we got Robin.”

She smiled, a little tightly Zane felt. “It is really, really draining to be awake so often.”

“Does breastfeeding make it easier or harder to get up?”

She laughed. “Both. Neither. I have no way to compare! I have to get up as much as I need sleep. Sarah needs me awake in the same way she would if she was bottle fed.”

Zane gestured towards the main room and she preceded him out the room. The group was just starting to settle down and Ty was telling some sort of story, using Robin as a prop of some kind when Zane glanced back at the table. The thumb drive was gone.

Zane touched Sarah’s mother’s arm. “Do you have something specific you needed to tell me?”

She smiled. “Black market orchids.”

Zane watched her throughout the group. Amy, was her name. She cooed at her daughter, adjusted her breasts self-consciously, and contributed to the group.

“I’m going to get jealous if you keep staring at her,” Ty muttered into his ear.

“No you’re not.” But Zane did stop looking at her until after the group left for the night.

On the walk home Ty finally asked. It had been clear he wanted to. “Okay, what was up with the creepy staring?”

“Amy was our contact.”

“What? They put an agent in our _parenting_ group?” Ty looked outraged and nearly shouted, but Robin gave an abbreviated cry and Ty lowered his voice. “Have they bugged our room, too?”

“Ty, I think she just happened to be in our group. She said she’s been in it longer than we’ve had Robin. Or even before they tapped us to take custody of him.”

“Seriously, Zane. This is the CIA we’re talking about. Of course she’s a plant.”

“With a three-month old infant and sore breasts.”

“Just deep cover!”

“Ty.”

Ty grumbled, but settled down and fussed with Robin’s little baby hat. “Maybe we can tell Ozone and Digger to follow her.”

“Ty.”

“Fine. You tail her.”

“Ty, if they wanted to know more, they would’ve told us so.”

Ty grumbled some more. Zane threw his free arm around his boys, even when Ty was being paranoid there was no place he’d rather be.


	8. Chapter 8

Ty wasn’t normally still enough to enjoy video games, but Owen had been raving about it for weeks, so Ty finally tried it. He couldn’t put the controller down. Zane had taken to dropping off water and Dr. Peppers because Ty wouldn’t get up. He was going to beat this game if it killed him.

Zane had left him to his game and was working in the bookstore. Ty would’ve felt the row house was empty if it wasn’t for the game noises turned up just a little too loud. And the occasional squawk or cry from Robin. The baby was strapped to his chest in the front-facing baby carrier thing because it was easier to handle the controller without worrying about bopping Bobby in the head.

“HA!” Ty bounced up with glorious victory setting Robin off in a short cry. “I’m sorry, buddy.”

Ty had to set the controller down to cuddle and sooth him back to sleep. The game had started moving on while he dealt with Bobby, so he hurried to pause it. The baby wiggled in the carrier a little.

“Time for a break, buddy? Daddy needs one, since we’re paused.”

Ty got up and headed for the head. It had seemed weird taking his son with him to piss, but it was just easier that way. He checked Bobby diaper, decided it needed changed, and then washed them both up. He grabbed another Dr. Pepper from the kitchen before settling back down.

“Shit, I wanted to grab a snack too.” Lugging around an extra 15 pounds strapped to his chest was starting to remind him of PT. “At least you’re still lighter than a pack.”

He grabbed a snack bag of Cheetos and then looked down at Robin. “Do you want to have orange fuzz?”

He ran his hand over the smooth nearly bald head of his son. Maybe he should grab a napkin or paper towel to make sure Bobby didn’t wind up covered in cheesy goodness. Ty figured Bobby would love it when he got a little older, as there was nothing a little boy loved more than being messy. He was going to love going up to the mountains with him and his dad and Zane. But maybe it was best if they didn’t start with orange cheese stuff. Zane might make him bathe him. He snagged a napkin on the way back to the couch.

That was how Zane found him an hour later: lightly bouncing in his seat as he tried to beat this level and an orange powdered napkin perched on Robin’s head.

“I don’t what to know, do I?”

“What?” He mashed the buttons harder as if that would make the character do exactly what his mind told him to.

“Why is there a napkin on Robin’s head?”

“To keep the Cheeto dust off.” He fiddled some more. “Got you, you motherfucker!”

“I thought we’d talked about the language.”

“Yeah, and we gave it up as a lost cause. Look Zane! I’m almost done.”

“That’s good, dear.” Zane wandered off, presumably to put his jacket up and get dinner started. He came back a little after Ty had started the next level. “Let me take the baby, so you can play. I’ll take him while I cook.”

Ty paused the game and they transferred baby and carrier. “I think I changed his diaper like an hour ago.”

“Got it. I’ll get his next feed then once dinner is cooking.”

Ty nodded and turned back to his game. This game was going to be his bitch. He heard Robin crying later and Zane murmuring in the kitchen, most likely to calm him down enough to take his bottle. A while later, food appeared in front of him, along with a baby-carrying Zane. He paused the game, giving Zane a glare and then sheepishly setting the controller down.

“Your food, my liege.”

“Sorry, Zane. I promise I’m almost done. Then I can tell Ozone to suck my dick.”

“He might not enjoy that as much as I do.”

“No. But it’d be fun to watch him try.” Ty snickered into his food.

Zane arched his eyebrow. Robin appeared to arch his as well, but that might have been Ty seeing things.

“Fine. No one touches my junk, but you. Got it.” He did his best to look put upon.

“Such a hardship.”

Ty leered.

“Because everyone is attractive while wearing baby spit-up.” Zane shrugged and Ty finally noticed the white stain on his shoulder.

“Well… It isn’t just any baby’s spit-up.” He tried for another leer, but burst into laughter.

“Yeah, yeah. Funny guy.” Zane made to get up off the couch.

“Oh, don’t be like that, baby,” Ty crooned to him. Zane swatted at him and then grabbed their empty plates.

“Go play your game.”

Ty huffed a little, but then his competitive drive got the better of him and he dove back in. The final baddie died horribly and the end scenes started up. Ty finally looked up and noticed how dark the downstairs was. The light of the TV and a lamp in the living room were the only lights on. Zane must have gone up to bed. Ty glanced at his watch and yeah, Zane went up to bed. It was after midnight. He shut the game system down and did his normal nightly check of the locks and windows. He’d never be able to make sure his sleeping quarters weren’t completely secure. Then he headed up the stairs, being as quiet as he could, since Robin wasn’t screaming his little head off. Waking a sleeping baby is something that should be punished by death. When he entered their bedroom, he found Zane passed out on the covers with the TV flickering and Robin sprawled on his chest. Ty hadn’t seen anything sweeter. He pulled out his phone and making sure it would be quiet, he quickly snapped a shot. Whether he was going to frame it or use it as blackmail was anyone’s guess. At least Robin was decent, diaper and sleeper firmly in place. He leaned in and carefully lifted the sleeping infant off his husband so he could sleep in his crib. Then Ty got ready for bed and rolled in next to Zane. He studied Zane face as he slept the exhausted sleep of a new parent and smiled. Still handsome as ever, even with more laugh lines around his eyes and just a few more grey hairs. It was always something Ty savored, watching Zane grow old with him. He couldn’t ask for more, so he glanced over him again before tucking his head under his pillow to try to get some sleep himself. Then Robin began to cry.


	9. Chapter 9

Tidying up the stacks and re-seeding some of the secret places were a couple of Ty’s favorite things to do. Zane was always terrified of seeing what Ty carried about and just hoped that Ty never got it into his head to actually put something deadly or dead in the horror section. Right now Ty looked to placing egg shaped stones around the fantasy sections. Dragon eggs, Zane supposed. He reached out with a foot to set the baby holder gently bouncing. Zane couldn’t really give it a name, as it was just one of those baby contraptions that looked like a removed car seat, but rocked the baby when pushed. It was the only place he could safety lay Robin down while he counted out the cash drawer. Who knew how almost mundane their lives would get, even working for the CIA?

Paper shuffling and books clunking into place were the only sounds for a while, before Zane heard a little snuffle from the floor. Robin was about to wake up.

Zane called out to Ty that he was getting Robin’s bottle, since he’d be hungry when he woke up. Ty popped out from behind a bookcase right in front of Zane. Zane nearly socked him in the stomach before he dodged.

Ty laughed. “Getting slow in your old age.”

Zane bopped Ty in the back of the head. “You too.”

Robin started crying and Zane shuffled off to the kitchen and its real fridge. It took him a little while to get the milk mixed and warmed, but just under the screaming Zane could just make out Ty’s voice singing. He wished he could actually hear the singing. It was so hard to get Ty to sing, now that he wasn’t drinking much.

He got the milk done and headed out to deliver dinner to their son. He passed the bottle to Ty who was still quietly singing a song Zane didn’t recognize.

“I love hearing you sing, Ty.”

Ty smiled back, inserted the nipple into the screaming mouth, and didn’t stop singing. Ty was singing the Frank Sinatra song “Swinging from a Star” and telling their son not to be a fish. Trust Ty to sing a song that was absurd and classic.

Zane turned back to the end of day routine, leaving Ty to sing the silly song and feed their son for a while. Ty started pacing around slowly and then they wandered from Zane’s sight. He wasn’t too concerned about it and got lost in his work. Ty’s hand writing on anything always gave Zane a headache trying to decipher it.

Baby screaming broke his work trance some time later. It bounced off the ceilings, giving Zane no idea where they were. He looked around expecting Ty to reappear to trade parenting duties, but the screaming only changed in pitch. Now, he was worried. He started to call out, but a soft thump under the screaming made him stop. He listened carefully and started creeping in the direction he thought the crying was coming from. A shadow moved slowly behind the bookcase to his left. He crept up towards the movement when the single shadow became two bodies wrestling together. He could make out Ty’s silhouette lifting the other body up over his shoulder and pinning him in the same move. Zane stood upright and didn’t hide his footsteps as he headed towards their screaming child. Who, he found, was lying on the ground, wrapped in his blankets, screaming his little head off. Zane scooped him up and turned on Ty.

“Why on earth did you leave him on the floor? He could’ve gotten cold.”

“He wouldn’t stop crying and I couldn’t get this guy holding him, now could I?” Ty said while restraining the intruder on the floor.

Zane lifted an eyebrow. “Need any help?”

Ty hauled the stranger up. “Nope. I’ll take him to the box.”

“Give me a kick for me.” Zane pulled his phone out of his pocket and snapped a quick picture of the intruder’s face. “I’ll go look him up.”

Zane scowled to himself for a second as he deftly handled his baby and the computer search. Robin hadn’t quit screaming since Ty and the asshole downstairs had upset him. He juggled Robin slightly before pulling up the relevant information for Ty. He waited until he heard the secret door open again before he started briefing Ty.

“Yeah, yeah. He coded himself in. After he scared the shit outta Bobby.” Ty walked over to scoop the still angry infant from Zane arms. “I’m sorry, buddy.”

Robin howled and howled. His little face was nearly purple with his rage. Ty started singing again. He rocked him gently. He even risked life and limb by placing a finger in his mouth, but nothing worked. Ty thrust him back into Zane arms.

“Where’s the pacifier?” he growled at Zane.

“You had it last.”

“Shit.” Ty started patting his pockets and focusing inward, clearly trying to remember where he’d seen it last. Then vanished.

Zane looked down at his son’s scrunched up face. In self-defense he started singing. Badly. “Put your right arm in. You put your right out. You put your right arm in and you shake it all about.”

The screaming started to become whimpers.

“You put your left arm in,” he continued, not daring to actually do the dance since he didn’t want to jostle Robin. But it was working. Robin was no longer screaming.

He got to his left leg before Ty reappeared and looked absolutely shocked. Zane couldn’t tell if it was from the quiet or his singing. Ty hadn’t heard him before. There was a reason for that.

“Zane. What is that noise?” Ty said, flatly.

“It’s working, Ty.”

“Yeah, probably in the hopes that you’d stop. Any time now.” He held out the pacifier as if it was the one ring to rule them all. Zane stopped singing and inserted the pacifier into their son’s mouth.

“Don’t quit my day job, huh?”

“Don’t quit your day job. Or your night job. Or ever make that racket again. You dance. _I_ sing. We’re good with that.”

Zane started chuckling. “I promise to never do that again.”

“Thank you,” Ty responded primly. “Although you didn’t get to your backside.”

“What?”

“You didn’t put your ass in and shake it all about.” Ty started to giggle as Zane turned around to shake his booty at Ty. Then he broke into laughter as well.

When they’d calmed down a little., Zane added, “I suppose we should deal with our guest. Want me to take Robin home first or after?”

“After. We’ll get him set for the night and then shake your booty better.” Ty leered.

Zane laughed and settled Robin in his holder. “You’re on.”


	10. Chapter 10

 “Ty! What are you doing?”

Ty nearly jumped out of his skin and off the couch when Zane yelled at him. He juggled Robin a little and horrified watched the little infant slip off the side of the couch.

The wailing started as soon as he hit and Zane and Ty’s cursing competed making quite a racket. Ty went to swing his legs down from couch, but Zane waved him off, scooping up their son from just about where Ty’s feet would have landed. Ty flinched back up onto the couch, tucking his feet nearly completely under him.

Zane cradled the squalling infant very carefully in his big hands. Bobby’s head looked so tiny and fragile. Although Ty almost flinched in memory of the time that head had smacked into his balls. Zane’s fingers carefully moved over that fragile head, but nothing seemed to make Robin cry any harder or make any change in the noise, so Zane seemed to think he was okay. He pressed his snotty face into shoulder and patted his back, so gently. Ty wanted to be turned on by the beauty of such a large and powerful man being so careful and gentle, but he was still scared. And feeling guilty.

“What were you doing?” Zane’s voice was very low, nearly growling.

“I fell asleep.”

“You know he’s starting to roll. He should have been on the floor or in the bouncer if you were going to sleep.”

Ty nodded, slowly. The guilt starting to gnaw on his insides. It wasn’t like he’d done it on purpose, they’d been watching tv together, with Bobby laid out over his chest, giggling when Ty made faces at him. The show hadn’t been all that interesting and Robin was just getting over some bug that had kept both of them up at all hours. Zane had been doing some sort of inventory at the bookstore, leaving Ty for hours with their screaming child. So he’d fallen asleep.

“I didn’t do it on purpose, Garrett.”

Zane just glared back. Robin’s crying had settled into sniffles, but he was pushing at Zane’s shoulder.

“What? Like you could’ve stopped yourself sleeping? I haven’t slept for more than 2 hours in a week, Garrett!”

“You going soft on me, Grady?”

“Fuck you, Garrett! You’ve at least been able to escape to the bookstore. I’ve been stuck here like some house wife with a screaming baby for hours on end. I’m not your little fucking wifey, Zane.”

Zane just blinked at him. “Little wifey?”

Ty snarled when Zane’s voice shook a little, clearly with laughter. “I’m exhausted, Garret. I’m cooped up and too tired to do anything about it. You’re too fucking busy to trade off with me, so you know what? Fuck you.”

Ty stomped off, heading for their bedroom. Zane could take his fucking turn now.

“Sleep it off, Grady!” Zane called up the stairs.

Wonderful, Zane seriously didn’t care at all how Ty felt.  He spun back around. “Do you even care about how I feel?”

“Of course I do, baby. You said you’re exhausted. Go take a nap. I can watch Robin.”

“Watch? Like you fucking _watch_ your own child. I’m not the only parent here.”

“Bad word choice. I’m sorry. I meant, I’ll take care of him for a while.” Zane raised a hand to Ty, like he was trying to calm him down.

Ty was too pissed and sleep deprived to calm down. He wanted to punch Zane in his smug face, but he was holding Robin and that would only make him feel a little better anyway. Ty knew, in the back of his mind, that he just needed some sleep and that he was massively overreacting. But he didn’t care. The rant had started and now it was just streaming out about how Zane was neglecting both him and Robin, and how the bookstore was more important, and he couldn’t wash the dishes right even after 2 years of marriage. And you know what, fuck him.

Zane just stood there, before covering Robin’s ears. “Don’t listen to him, he’s saying bad words again.”

Ty finally exploded with frustration, screaming out and stomping off. He headed to their bedroom and slammed the door behind him. If he could’ve locked it, he would’ve. Vaguely, he remembered that they needed to install a lock on the door at some point if they ever wanted to have privacy again. That just pissed him off more, he totally could have locked Garrett out. He threw his shirt off and fell into the bed. He huffed out two more breaths before he was sound asleep.

He jerked awake, the pillow he didn’t remember hiding under, falling off his head. The room was pitch dark, only the glow from the cable box and alarm clock visible. There was no accompanying lump in the bed next to him. Had he said anything truly hurtful to Zane? The clock said it was nearly 4 in the morning. The crib seemed to be empty too. Ty was so going to make Zane grovel if he was doing the same thing Ty had done earlier. He hefted himself out of bed to find and possibly apologize to his husband.

He looked around the living room and didn’t see his boys camped out on the couch, which was rather strange. A rustling came from the kitchen and then Zane’s low voice muttered, presumably to Bobby. A squeal of delight and Ty propped himself in the doorway to the kitchen to watch. Zane was dancing with Robin held out before him, dipping and spinning him. A bottle was in the warmer on the counter, it’s red lights telling Ty that they were waiting for it to warm. Zane hummed a little tune, before dipping Robin again to another delighted squeal.

“Can I cut in, Bobby? I owe your daddy a slow dance.”

Zane glanced over as he pulled Robin back to his chest. He propped him up and held out his hand to Ty.

“I can’t cut this dance short, but you can join us.” He smiled gently at Ty.

Ty grasped his hand and pulled him close, starting a slow shuffle with the two of them. “I’m sorry about going off on you.”

“I know, Ty. I’m sorry I haven’t been around lately. I had to make sure this got done my way and didn’t think about how that would leave you alone.”

Bobby’s little hands reached out to clutch at Ty’s necklace. Zane’s eyes dropped to the compass rose pedant. Ty dropped Zane’s hand to cradle his face instead. “I love you, Zane.”

“I love you, too.” Zane smiled and then ducked his head for a soft kiss. God, that kiss felt good.

“We need to make more time for this.”

Zane hummed an agreement before kissing Ty again, a little harder. The bottle warmer beeped and Zane’s hand slipped from his waist. “Let’s feed the beast and get him settled. Then we can pick up where we left off. I promise, Ty.”

Ty nodded and held Robin while Zane got the bottle, then they all headed upstairs. If he had to roll that crib into the hallway for a little private time, he would. They would have more intimacy, he vowed.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING! NSFW Content

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING! NSFW Content Ahead. If you are under 18 you should skip this chapter.

Zane felt warm and languid, but something wanted to pull him from his sleep. Insistently, but oh, so good. The pleasure spread up from his toes and out to his fingers. Warm air ghosted over his erection and he slowly opened his eyes, really hoping Ty wasn’t doing what he thought he was doing in front of their child. The bed next to him lacked his husband and he felt Ty’s tongue swipe up his cock. He groaned before forcing himself to look around the room.

“Morning, sleepy head.” Ty’s voice made it clear he was grinning. The blankets were still over his head.

“Robin,” Zane croaked out as Ty’s mouth descended. Ty licked him like a lollipop before pulling off.

“Wrong name there, asshole.”

They chuckled.

“He’s out in the hallway in the bassinet. Nice and sleepy after I fed him already.”

“Okay. Good.” Zane reached down to grab a handful of Ty’s hair. Ty took the prompting, sucking Zane in and swallowing around him. Zane cursed and moaned out Ty’s name. Ty hummed in approval. Given the sexual drought they’d been having, it took no time at all before Ty was humming and swallowing everything Zane could give him. Ty crawled up Zane and growled into a savage kiss. Zane always loved the feeling of kissing Ty with hints of himself still on Ty’s tongue. Ty rutted against his hips, forcing himself fully between them. Zane groped for their night stand and the bottle of lube that was nearest before Ty rubbed himself to orgasm. Ty growled again and snatched the bottle from Zane’s hand.

“This is gonna be quick.”

Zane nodded, relaxing while Ty slathered up. Everything was fast. Ty slid home and without waiting, thrust wildly, groping at Zane’s skin and kissing him messily. Ty had to stop kissing when he came, loudly with clear relief. He sagged down into Zane.

“I promised we’d have more alone time,” Ty mumbled against his chest.

Zane ran his hand through Ty’s hair and another over his back, feeling the soft hair and smooth skin. He traced some of the scars on Ty’s back from memory. “I didn’t hear that promise. Not that I’m complaining.”

“I made it to myself. We needed it.”

“Not going to disagree, but I am going to ask.”

“Ask?”

“What’s got into you?”

Ty started sniggering before dissolving into laughter. He rolled off Zane to his side, still giggling. “Nothing yet!”

“Oh geez.” Zane stretched himself out in the bed, feeling around with his toes for his boxers. They seem to have vanished and he found he was a little sore. It had been awhile.

“Nick texted me this morning while I was feeding Bobby.”

“Yeah? How’s he doing?”

“Still confused about why anyone would give me a kid.”

Zane started to laugh and Ty smacked him on the chest.

“He wants to get another paintball camping trip thing together.”

“Oh, yeah? If you need another, I’m up for it, but Digger is not allowed to play with pinecones.”

“Dude. No fucking pinecones. That shit ain’t right. And good, cause you’re invited. You married us all.” Ty grinned.

“I know.” Zane almost rolled his eyes, but he did appreciate having their approval. “And that put you in the mood?”

“Well,” Ty drew out. “I was going to use it to make you agree to come with Bobby.”

“With Robin,” Zane replied flatly.

“He needs time with his Sidewinder family, too.” Ty’s voice headed into whining territory.

“Ty. He’s 5 months old. You can’t take him camping with your friends and expect him to survive at that age.”

Robin chose that moment to make his feelings know. Zane got up and found a pair of boxers on the floor. “This conversation is not over.”

Ty nodded, meekly.

Robin really was literally outside their door in the bassinet. Cricket was batting at his little kicking feet. The grey fluffy cat loved the baby for some reason, even while Robin was crying his little head off.

“Hey, buddy.” Zane gathered him up and turned back into their room, leaving the door open for Jiminy and Cricket. Zane slid back into the bed with Ty, who wrapped them both up. The screaming had stopped, since Robin had his daddies paying attention to him now.

“You want to take an infant camping with your friends?”

Ty started to nod, then stopped. “This may not be the best idea I’ve ever had.”

“Why am I even asking? You took your cats on a road trip.” Said cats jumped up onto the bed and cuddled around Ty. “We should just drop him off with your parents for a weekend. That way if Digger finds pinecones Robin will be safe. Even if we’re not.”

“But Kelly, especially, wants to see him. And Digger too. They both requested we bring him.”

“Did they consider the logistics of this? We need some way to warm milk. A place to store dirty diapers and after a day that’s going to smell awful. Lots of clean clothes. His toys. Pacifiers. They’re going to have their sleep interrupted. Also even less chances for privacy since we’d all have to share a tent.”

Ty’s face had paled a little, but then he rallied. “I’ll let Perrimore or Clancy feed the cats, if he comes.”

“Seriously?”

“Fine. How about Nick and Kelly come back with us for a Walking Dead marathon? Will that make a good trade?”

“You’re re-doing all the shelves too.”

“Fuck. Fine.”

“Fine.” Zane looked down at the little boy with tiny tufts of brown hair coming in and said, “You’re going for your first camping trip. Please forgive us.”


	12. Chapter 12

Ty eyed the pack carefully, then glanced at his son’s arms flailing about from the front facing baby-carrier. Zane expected him to carry both a pack and their son. This wasn’t fair. Zane didn’t have to carry Bobby. Yet. Ty sighed and hefted the pack on. Zane had promised that they would trade baby-carrying duty after their lunch stop. Ty just didn’t have much faith in his friends wanting to stop for a lunch break.

Nick looked vaguely haunted as he gathered up a few more stray bits they might need. Maybe going camping up in the mountains was a bad idea. Even Ty’s hand was starting to hurt, remembering being chewed on by a mountain lion.

Zane grabbed the aching hand and tugged Ty closer to whisper in his ear. “We’re going to die and if my son gets eaten I’m going to kill you. Again.”

Ty shivered, and not from the threat. “You can try, hoss.”

Zane pressed a kiss to his cheek before thumping out the front door to pile their stuff into the Grady’s truck. Mara was going to drop them all off at the trail head and pick them up again in a week, or sooner if Robin didn’t like camping. Earl was making noises about going along, but had finally succumbed to a head cold the day before. Deuce had just laughed until he couldn’t breathe and told Ty he wished him luck before hanging up. So it was just Sidewinder and Zane.

Kelly stopped to place a hand carefully over Robin’s fuzzy head. “You’re going to have the time of your life and you won’t remember a thing.”

“That sounds like a party,” Digger said, before going outside.

“You boys, all set?” Mara asked with both hands on her hips. She looked so tiny with all the big men filling her house. Ty had never brought the whole team home before.

“Yeah, Ma,” Ty said before starting out himself. Zane lifted the pack off his back when he reached the truck.

“Are we planning to hold Robin?” Zane asked, warily eying the single vehicle filled with 6 large men and one tiny baby.

Ty did some mental math and nodded. “I’ll sit in the back with him.”

Piling them all into one vehicle was a really bad idea. The only person not crushed in the back was Robin. The entire team was very careful about making sure he could be cuddled without losing any space. Ty, on the other hand, was fair game.

Ty took the first deep breath he could when they finally piled out of the car. Zane was helping everyone get their bags and the men wandered off a little way. Ty settled Robin back into the carrier and Zane held out his bag.

“Ready for this, doll?”

Ty shook his head frantically. “It sounded like a good idea at the time!”

“Suck it up, Grady.”

“I hate you.”

Zane laughed as he trailed off after the other Sidewinders. They may not have had a trail map, but they could follow a trail and at the trailhead, it was rather hard to miss. Ty headed up the line to take point since he did actually know the trail and where he wanted them to camp that night.

Robin cooed and occasionally cried as they walked, but Ty soaked in the quiet. The men had stopped joking around for the moment, the strain of a good hike finally quieting them down. Even Ty wasn’t complaining about something, although he did want to whine to Zane about how his shoulders hurt. He was carrying two packs after all and one was currently wiggling.

Ty stumbled a little as one wiggling foot caught him extra hard in the gut. He oofed and righted himself. Zane placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Time to switch?” he asked, quietly.

“No. Bobby’s just getting ready for his career as a soccer player.” He rubbed his stomach and got the back of his hand kicked for his trouble. “Yep, we’re putting him in soccer, not football.”

Zane laughed and held out his arms to the waving fists of their son. “I’ll take the little man, give your guts a break.”

“Your funeral.” Ty let Zane take the baby out of the carrier and then fiddled with his straps to get the carrier out from under his pack.

“Too heavy for you, Grady?” Kelly called as he slowed next to them.

“You’re getting soft,” Digger dug.

“You assholes carry our future soccer star as he practices on your stomach.”

The guys all laughed.

“I’m so not helping you if you get bit by a snake!”

And everyone laughed harder. Zane just smirked as he helped Ty settle the carrier over his shoulders.

Ty eventually got his revenge, if accidentally. After their lunch break Kelly decided to take Robin from Zane, so Zane handed him the carrier and walked off to relieve himself. Kelly trooped with him for a while before Robin was passed to Owen and then everyone, but Nick took a turn. By the time Ty finally got his son back, he could see just how happy Robin was. His little cheeks were all scrunched up, nearly red with pleasure. But he fell asleep nearly the second Ty had him all settled into the carrier again.

“We’ve exhausted him,” Ty muttered to Zane.

“Should we be start looking for a site?”

“Not yet. I know a nice clearing just about another hour down the trail.”

Zane nodded and they moved on.

The clearing wasn’t much really. The really scenic views were on another better traveled trail. Ty wanted to share the mountains with his son, not just pretty views. Also, Ty had been assured by the Rangers that there were no unusual animal movement in this area. The announcement of time to bed down was met with relieved groans and all the men started unloading. They really didn’t plan to stay out too long. Camping with a baby was more complicated than any camping they had done before. At this point, Ty was starting to think camping in an active war zone was easier than dealing with dirty diapers, powdered formula, toys, and proper nap times to prevent the screaming fits. As it was, Ty couldn’t even set Robin down to help Zane set up their tent, because they couldn’t bring any of his carriers that sat on the ground. So Ty held the poles and directed Zane when he needed it. Or when he didn’t.

Zane was growling at him and Ty was nearly laughing his head off, before Nick stepped in to help Zane. He could have gotten the tent up just fine, Ty knew this, but he was having fun annoying Zane.

“Feeling a little limp there, Sidekick?”

“I will shove this pole up your ass, and then you can complain about being limp.”

Ty’s lewd comment was cut off by Owen loudly protesting any more sex talk. Ty secretly wondered how he was going to handle two same-sex couples being shacked up no more than 10 feet away and his girlfriend back in San Diego. At least he didn’t have to worry about Digger.

Bobby started fussing as Ty and Zane settled down into their sleeping bags. They fussed over him a little before the soft pattering of rain on the canvas finally lulled them all into sleep.

When they woke up, it was to pounding rain. There was a slight drip sliding down the corner of the tent where the weatherproofing wasn’t manufactured correctly. Ty wanted to strangle the manufacturer as the puddle beneath it was wetting his son’s blankets. He snatched him up, startling Zane so badly Zane sat up and smacked his head into one of the support poles, nearly knocking the whole thing in. They both fumbled with the pole getting things quickly back in place, while Zane grumbled and Robin started his morning wails.

The other men grumbled and from the safety of their tents, they decided they’d just stay there until the rain ended. At least that the plan, until Ty caught sight of a squirrel. In the tent. He shouted and bolted from the tent, getting himself soaked to the skin in seconds.

Zane’s head popped out of the tent. “What the fuck, Ty?”

“There’s a squirrel in there. Get it out!”

Zane’s head disappeared for a second and Ty registered Sidewinder’s echoing laughter.

“It’s not fucking funny. Squirrels are evil,” he protested.

“Tyler. You’re also holding your bag of diapers,” Nick sniggered.

He looked down and sure enough, there was the bag of diapers getting noticeably wetter by the second. “Fuck.”

Zane’s head reappeared. “Ty? Is this what you saw?”

Zane held out of a stuffed squirrel. Owen had gotten it for Robin last visit as a joke. “Why the fuck did you pack it?”

“Because it was nearby and Robin likes it, Ty.”

The bag of diapers was now much heavier than it had been and Ty was freezing and wet. And feeling really fucking stupid.

“Coming back now?” Zane asked.

Ty nodded, gloomily and starting stripping down in the rain. He needed to get the wet clothes off and it didn’t matter, since he couldn’t get any wetter. He left the bag of ruined diapers just outside. Most had swelled to twice their normal size. Ty had to dry off with the tiny towel they brought and then the diaper disaster registered.

“Zane…”

“What Grady?”

Last name. Not good. Maybe Zane had figured out what happened already. “I got the diapers all wet.”

“I know. I’m trying to decide which of your shirts I like least.”

“What?!” Ty squawked.

“Your fault. Your shirts.”

“No. It’s Owen’s fault. He bought that fucking toy.” With that Ty stormed out of his tent, nude, and over to Owen and Digger’s tent. “Gimme your clothes, asshole.”

“What the fuck, Ty?” Owen didn’t even bother opening the tent.

“It’s your fault I got the diapers wet. We need diapers.”

The tent unzipped. “It’s not my fault you screamed like a little girl and ran from a _stuffed toy_ , Grady.”

“You know I hate squirrels.”

The tent zipped back closed. “Not my problem.”

Ty unzipped the tent himself before shoving half of himself in and wrestled with both Digger and Owen to hijack Owen’s clean clothes. No dirty shirts for his baby. In the ensuing fight, they managed to soak Digger’s sleeping bag, get mud on Owen’s clothes, and Ty was pretty sure he had mud in places it was never meant to be. But he had Owen’s fancy sleeping bag. He figured Zane could make diaper cloths out of it. He darted back into the safety of his own tent, hearing Nick and Kelly wheezing with laughter.

“Fucktards.”

“Here.” Ty presented his catch to his husband to save their son’s behind. Literally. Zane blinked at the sleeping bag. “Make diapers from this.”

“Owen is going to kill us all in our sleep,” Zane muttered, but got his knife out and started fitting Robin for a nappy. It was due for a change.

The rain it turned out, had other plans for the group and never let up. It was only drizzling in the morning, but they all decided with a baby and no diapers, this wasn’t happening. So they called Mara and headed back the way they came.

Finally, warm and dry back at the Grady’s Zane said, “You know it had to go badly. It was a vacation, baby.”

“Ugh. We didn’t say it, though.”

Zane shrugged and hugged Robin closer. “We’re doomed, doll.”


	13. Chapter 13

Zane glanced around looking for his phone, yet again. It had taken to disappearing rather frequently. Zane was sure it was Ty’s fault, but since his husband appeared to be missing in action with their son, it couldn’t be his fault. Robin had developed a fascination with the screens, cooing and babbling and poking them with his snot-covered fingers. Zane had assumed he liked the changing colors, or something. At least he couldn’t get them in his mouth yet. Unfortunately, the phone had a memo he needed in order to finish this last bit of paperwork. Who knew owning a business required so much paperwork? So Zane went looking for Ty. If nothing else, Ty could call his phone. He was pretty sure it wasn’t on vibrate.

“No. That’s not right,” Ty said. There was a pause, then, “I’m not passing that on. Fuck her!”

Zane found Ty on the balcony pacing back and forth, with a fussy Robin. Robin seemed to picking up on the tension in Ty’s voice.

“Yeah, I know she thinks it’s for the best. She’s wrong.”

Zane waved a hand hoping to get Ty’s attention. Ty’s eyes went wide and he came to an abrupt halt.

“No. I’ve gotta go. Bobby’s getting fussy.” Ty pulled the phone away and hung up on whoever he was talking to.

“Who was that?” Zane asked.

Ty shook his head. He held the phone out to Zane. “I was sending a picture to Annie for you.”

“For me?” Zane raised an eyebrow.

Ty didn’t even bother with fake remorse. “She told me you hadn’t even sent her any baby pictures, so I’ve been sending her some with your phone. So she thinks you care.”

Zane glanced down at his phone, before unlocking it and going through his photo gallery. He hadn’t noticed the extra pictures of Robin in there before. They were good pictures. “Thanks. These are good. I love the one you took of Robin with the stuffed squirrel.”

Ty shuddered. “I think you took that one. I hate that toy.”

“I know. And who were you talking to on my phone?” Zane was really confused now. Ever since retiring from the FBI, he rarely received phone calls from people who wouldn’t just call Ty first. His sister sometimes called, but mostly he got text messages from the Sidewinder boys. Nick owed him a new chess game.

“Annie.”

“Ty,” Zane prompted, when Ty didn’t add anymore.

“I was just answering to let her know I was going to get you, but she said something about your mother coming here. And I heard the word ‘lawyer’ and made her talk to me.”

Zane did not like the sound of this.

“Basically, Annie said your mother is on her way here to take Bobby. Her words were something about to ‘too many men in the house’ and something about innocent baby eyes.” Ty’s shoulders hunched and his fist clenched.

“She what?” Zane felt like all the blood in his head had rushed to his stomach. Sound rushed in his ears. She had just accepted their relationship. Why would she do this?

“I dunno, Zane.” Ty’s face was crumpled and he placed a hand protectively over Robin’s forehead. “I’ll fight her.”

“I know, Ty. I don’t know what she’s thinking, but she’s not taking our son.”

They waited, but no call came from Zane’s father and Beverly never showed up.

The next two days were tense, with no word from any of the Garrett family, but in a sense no news was good news. Beverly never showed up on their doorstep with a lawyer in tow, but also Annie never called back to say she was wrong or that Beverley had changed her mind.

Zane finally caved and called Annie, himself.

“Hey Zane,” she sounded tired when she answered.

“Hey. I was calling you back.”

She huffed out a breath. “I was hoping she would change her mind, but she’s still intent on her decision. Dad’s been throwing his weight around. I’ve heard the ‘d’ word at least 5 times this week. She’s just worried that two men aren’t capable of raising a child.”

“We thought she’d be here already.”

“I thought she would be too.” A short pause. “She’s not there?”

“No. That’s why I was calling. I thought she was on her way when you called.”

“She was. I thought.”

Zane may not have liked his mother most of the time, but now he was getting worried. She’d looked so old and frail last time he’d seen her. “Have you called her?”

“No. I thought she’d be arguing with you and Ty. Should I?”

“Yes, call her then call me back. I can start checking hospitals.” Zane hung up and turned to find Ty. “Ty!”

Ty spun to face him, from just outside their son’s room. “Shhh. Nap time.”

“We need to look for my mother. She was supposed to be here by now.” Zane kept his voice low, but Ty nearly jumped at this announcement. He bolted into their bedroom for his phone and they headed down to main level together.

“I’ll call Clancy, see if she can’t just run Beverly’s name faster,” Ty offered, already pulling the phone up to his ear.

Zane nodded and clutched his phone, willing Annie to ring him back and tell him she had just changed her mind and was stuck in a hotel somewhere.

Ty’s conversation was very short, but the wait for a reply stretched on and on. Time stretched and Zane’s nerves stretched with it. The soft ding of his text message felt like a shot of adrenaline.

_Mother is at a hospital. She had a minor fainting spell. Says the lawyer was stressing her out._

“Well that’s a relief,” Zane muttered. “Did you find out what hospital she’s at?”

Ty nodded and wrote something down. “Thanks Clancy.”

Ty set the phone down. “She was admitted last night for minor chest pains and loss of consciousness. Didn’t sound too serious. We going to get her?”

Zane wanted to say no and “fuck her,” but he nodded. “Yeah. Maybe if she sees us with Robin, she’ll change her mind.”

Ty started to shake his head, but then slowly nodded. “She changed her mind about us. Maybe I should call Ma.”

Zane laughed.

Traveling with a baby was never easy, but the routine was much smoother now. Ty packed the bag. Zane loaded Robin into the car seat. Only if Robin wanted his squirrel, Zane had to pack it. Ty refused. The drive was quiet, since they were both worried about how it would go. Zane could only hope that actually seeing Robin thriving would at least slow her wrath. They had been doing so well adjusting to their charge and both loved the little demon child, dearly. Neither of them could stand to lose their little man.

The stroller came out after they parked and Robin was buckled in.

“Beverly Carter-Garrett’s room?” Zane asked the receptionist. She took her time looking through the computer’s system.

“Relative?”

“Her son.”

“Room 465. Fourth Floor. Elevators are over there.” She pointed off to her right.

“Thanks.” Ty pushed the stroller behind Zane as he found their way to her room. The door was open and there were two beds, but the furthest was screened by the sheet. Beverly was sitting up, in her own clothes on the bed nearest the door.

“Zane.” She sounded surprised, Zane thought, but he really couldn’t be sure. Her voice was flat, but drew his name out slightly.

“We didn’t know you were here. Are you okay?”

She nodded, once. “Minor inconvenience.”

“That’s good.” This wasn’t the most stilted and awkward conversation, ever. Not at all, Zane thought sarcastically.

Robin to rescue. He shrieked at Ty’s goofy face and Beverly turned to look at them.

“Would you like to meet your grandson?” Zane asked, belatedly.

“How did you come by a child, Zane?”

“An adoption agency. We’d been on the list for a while.” This wasn’t actually true, but it’s not like he could say that the CIA foisted the child upon them.

“What kind of agency gives two men a child?”

“The kind that knows there are children that need homes.” Zane shoulder’s started tensing. This is what they were afraid of.

Ty pulled Robin out of the stroller and held him close. Robin grabbed at Ty’s nose and giggled when Ty snorted through his hold.

Zane had noted the fact that Beverly never answered his question about wanting to meet him. She seemed to have run out of questions, so Zane went on. “I know I should have told you guys we had this planned, but the whole thing went very quickly and we’ve been too busy to really make the trip out there. Ty’s parents have only seen him twice now.”

Nothing on her face changed, but Zane had the impression that maybe she felt better knowing they hadn’t kept Robin from her on purpose.

Ty walked closer. “Look, Bobby. That’s your other grandmother. She lives in Texas with all the evil ponies.”

“We’ve had to work hard to get him to accept new people. He didn’t like being held by others much. We were given to understand that his birth mother was killed and he may have been present.”

That melted her. “Oh, that poor child.”

She held out her arms to Ty and with a barely concealed grimace, he passed Robin to her. They watched as she cuddled the baby, who had gone quiet, but wasn’t screaming. She didn’t coo or baby-talk to him, but just smiled. “He is lovely.”

“Yeah, we think so, too,” Ty said. “I’m kinda glad I can’t give birth. Kind of ruins the whole beauty of a screaming infant, all that pain.”

Zane snorted. “It’s an adjustment, we hadn’t been prepared for when we found out we were getting him. Things have smoothed out. Still not sleeping as much as we used to, but he’s worth it.”

“Men shouldn’t raise children alone.”

“And yet, they do. Whether they’re in a same-sex relationship or single parents,” Zane said, fighting not to snatch their son back.

“And we’re not alone,” Ty added. “My parents aren’t too far. And my brother and his wife come to visit.”

“It just doesn’t seem right.”

“Maybe not, but he’s ours, Mother.”

She nodded, looking down at his face. He had a lovely chubby baby face, with the wide eyes of every baby. The brown hairs were getting thicker and maybe he’d have brown hair as he grew up. Beverly shifted to get comfortable with him, crinkling the plastic bed cover.

“Maybe you should come visit more often.”

“We haven’t tried flying with a baby, yet. But we hear it’s a nightmare.” Zane started to smile.

She looked up, finally showing some emotion. She wanted to see more of all of them.

“We’ll try harder. I promise.”

Ty nodded, quickly. “I’ll even let him pet a horse.”

Zane laughed and Beverly nodded. “He’s a Garrett, Mother. Grady-Garret, but a Garrett.”

“Of course he is.”

The doctor came in and Ty, Zane, and Robin left so they could talk in private.

“That went better than expected.”

“I had hoped Robin would soften her up,” Zane smiled down at the little baby in his arms.

“We taking her home for a while?”

“Yeah. It might ease her mind some.”

Ty nodded. “Hopefully we don’t all kill each other.”

“Famous last words.”


	14. Chapter 14

Ty had developed a habit. He’d always liked running in the morning, or at least it was something he had to do, but even though he was no longer in the service, he liked the run. It was quiet, mostly. It let him see the neighborhood and keep track of changes. And the runner’s high was always nice. Oh, and the bonus of coming home to either breakfast or a very excited Zane. Since Bobby entered their lives, the morning run was sometimes an afternoon run to run away from a cranky Bobby and an even crankier Zane. Bobby was finally settling down and he had become part of Ty’s routine. Instead of running away from Zane and the baby, Ty took the baby so Zane could relax and get some work done.

Zane’s mother was making this run a necessity and Ty seriously considered just running into the next county. 

Robin’s little arm flailed out of the stroller and he happy-shrieked.

“I hear ya, bubby. What do you think of never going back? Would you miss Zane? Or your new grandma?”

The arm flailed a little more, but no shrieks.

“You would? Damn it.” Ty thought once more about running far, far away, but when he hit the usual turn, he took it. “Don’t suppose we can abandon Zane to his mother.”

Ty tried to let running relax him. Pushing the stroller used to be foreign, but he found the light resistance pleasant. The physicality of running eased some stress from his muscles, forcing them to move in the intended ways. A car back-fired and his head whipped around, but he didn’t drop and roll anymore, at least. But then he’d have to grab Bobby before dropping, so maybe that had something to do with it.

Before he knew it, they were back at the house. He knew that by the shouting. They were at it again.

“I married him, Mother! I’m not getting divorced to marry some woman!”

“The family needs you!”

“No, they don’t. If you actually needed my help, you’d ask for it. Not demand I go back. I’m _happy_ here, damn it.”

And on and on. Beverly insisted they, being Zane and Robin, go back to Texas, with or without Ty. Zane was happy where he was. At least she wasn’t hostile to them as a couple anymore. Just didn’t care if he was there or not. The walls were starting to close in again.

Ty tucked the stroller away and carried Bobby into the kitchen. Zane’s voice started to get louder as Ty started banging around, pulling out a pot and the things he needed to fix Bobby’s bottle. Beverly’s voice got lower even as it got louder, like she didn’t want to Ty to hear, though they were getting closer. Ty put the pot under the faucet and let Bobby splash them both a little. Ty preened a little every time he got to use the touch faucet with a baby in his arms. That might not have been why he bought it, but it sure was a good investment.

The hundredth round of Zane was happy and he was needed at the ranch drew closer. Ty glanced in the pot and at the light indicator of the bottle warmer. The pot was almost full. The bottle wasn’t warm yet. He turned the water off and hefted the pot out. As soon as both dark heads came around the corner Ty chucked the water at them both.

“What the fuck?!” Zane shouted and his mother squealed. Ty nearly fell over with laughter at the sound. Bobby started giggling with Ty, which set Ty off again.

Zane glanced at his mother and covered his mouth, but Ty could see his crow’s feet crinkle up with a smile.

“Now, that you’re done,” Ty said once he was done laughing. “Mrs. Carter-Garrett we’re not moving to Texas. It tries to kill me and Bobby needs both his daddies. Okay?”

She just glared while her hair dripped.

“I will call my mother.”

Beverly just stomped off, presumably to change into something dry.

“Call Mara, Ty and give me the baby.” Zane chuckled.

“No! You’re all wet.”

Zane whipped his sopping shirt off and let it splat on the floor. He wiped his chest off with a dish towel then held out his hands. Ty sighed and handed Bobby over. He did take a second to admire his husband’s chest. Ty shivered.

“Why are you cold? You’re the one who dumped water on me.”

“Just thinking I’m gonna get some tonight.” Ty leered.

“Go call your mother.” Zane settled in to feed their son and Ty grabbed his phone and some towels to wipe up the floor.

Ty listened to Beverly stomp around until his mother picked up.

“What happened?”

“Why did something have to happen?”

“You never call unless something happened. I know you, Tyler.”

Ty scratched at his cheek and thought that maybe she had a point. “Well, maybe something did.”

“And?”

“Zane’s mother showed up, originally threatening to take Bobby, but that’s all sorted out. Now I think she wants to take Bobby and Zane home with her.” He babbled some more about what hell they were going through now that she was staying with them.

“I take it you two need rescuing?”

Ty huffed out a breath and then swallowing any pride he may have had, “Yes, please come save us. Neither of us have slept well since she got here.”

“How’s my grandson?” Ty heard shuffling in the background and then Mara shouted to his dad about driving up to Baltimore.

“He’s thrilled with all the extra attention now. Sleeping and eating well. Oh! He’s starting rolling over. Zane keeps telling me I can’t teach him to commando crawl yet, but I think he could do it.”

“Tyler, did your daddy teach you that?”

“Um, I think I figured it out on my own,” Ty muttered as something slammed on the other end.

“Then you shouldn’t be teaching that to your boy.” Some more shuffling and then Mara said, “We’ll be on our way in just a few and we can stay on the couch, so don’t worry about it.”

“Thanks Ma.”

The wait for his parents crawled by. Beverly reappeared and managed to not start another fight with Zane, but it was a near thing. Ty could see the fire in her eyes, since it seemed to be the only expression he could read on her. Bobby helped, since he was cooing and waving his tiny little fists around drawing them all in. He had his other grandma wrapped around his tiny finger, same as the one riding to the rescue. Bobby also showed off his rolling skills, nearly rolling himself under the coffee table when Zane moved to get his toy squirrel.

Mara and Earl may not have had a key, but that didn’t stop them from barging right in when they got there. Mara nodded in brief approval, since mostly Ty always went to them and she’d only been up to his place once or twice. For having a young child, it was still a neat and clean place to live.

Beverly’s face was blank as always when she caught sight of the Gradys.

“Hey Ma. Hello, sir.” Ty took a hug from his mother and a handshake with his father. “How’d you convince Grandpa to stay home?”

“Told him we were only rescuing you from Zane’s mother. He said it didn’t sound worthy of his moving his old bones,” Earl said watching Mara get down on the floor with Zane and Robin.

She scooped the baby up, cooing to him. She gave Zane a one-armed hug before turning to greet Beverly. They may have had a come to Jesus talk when the Gradys were in Texas, but the relationship clearly wasn’t an overly friendly one. They nodded to each other and exchanged small talk. Zane got up to greet Earl and stayed with Ty, placing a hand on the small of Ty’s back.

The two women murmured to each other while Bobby cooed and giggled. Ty heard something about happy parents make happy babies and traveling with an infant, but mostly Mara was keeping her voice too low for Ty to hear, unless he wanted to make it obvious.

“Don’t even think it, boy. The ladies need to have their moment.”

Ty glared at his dad, while Zane chuckled.

“I really wanted to hear how Mara changed my mother’s mind, but oh well.”

“I’m sure she just appealed to your mother’s maternal side,” Earl said with something approaching a rueful smile. Ty was suspicious.

“What maternal side?” Ty asked.

“She was pregnant with him,” Earl said.

“Didn’t stop her from insulting him, in front of me. A complete stranger. It was weird, Dad.”

Zane grimaced. “I’m sure there’s one in there somewhere.”

Beverly’s voice took on a sharper tone and Ty turned to see her getting up.

“It was a pleasure to see you, Mrs. Grady, but I think I shall have someone take me to airport and go home.”

“You want us to call a taxi, Mrs. Carter-Garrett?” Ty asked, when Zane didn’t volunteer to drive her. “My parents just got here and I haven’t seen them in a while.”

“Yes. Thank you.” She turned on her heel and went upstairs, presumably to pack. Ty called a cab for her then settled down with his mom and Bobby.

After she left with nothing more than brief verbal good-bye, Ty turned to his mom. “What did you say?”

“She just needed to see her grand baby and some time. She still isn’t comfortable with your relationship, much like our pastor.”

“What?” Ty exclaimed.

“He started in on homosexuals as being full of sin. I gave him a piece of my mind, but Beverly just needs more time to let this sit. It isn’t normal for two men to raising a baby alone. So go visit her when he gets easier to take on a plane. It’ll help.”

Ty saw Zane nodding his head, but Ty huffed. He really didn’t want to have to go back to Texas.

“We can see your tigers Ty. Robin might enjoy it.”

“Fine,” Ty huffed.

Zane thanked Mara for trying and then went off to the kitchen. Mara nodded after Zane and Ty went to follow. He wrapped his arms around Zane from behind, and nuzzle the back of his neck. Zane shivered. “You okay, darlin’?”

Zane nodded. “I hate that every time we make progress with her, we find ourselves back where we started.”

Ty nodded into his shoulder.

“We’ll get there. And I know Sadie would love to meet her cousin. So a visit would be good, just not right now.”

“I’m not flying with a four month old.”

Zane shuddered. “No. We don’t need that hell.”

Zane’s hands stroked over Ty’s as he held him and Ty just breathed Zane in. “Love you.”

“Love you, too.”


	15. Chapter 15

The doctor’s appointment kind of caught them both by surprise. Of course they had looked for a pediatric doctor in the area, since they had regular general doctors, but since they avoided them like the plague they didn’t get references. Zane researched a few in the area and called about the next set of shots and then forgot about it. The reminder email then came as a shock, but Zane was glad it came.

“Are you going with me to take Robin to doctor tomorrow?”

“Are you closing the book store?” Ty looked over his shoulder from his shelving.

“We can see if Todd wants a few hours.”

“Call. If he doesn’t, I’ll stay.”

Zane almost told Ty then they’d close the store completely, but Ty didn’t scare the customers on purpose, often. Not that he ever had the personality for retail.

To Zane’s relief, he was not going to be leaving the store in Ty’s questionably capable hands. He’d leave it in Todd’s.

The baby shrieking sounds from a far corner told Zane Ty was doing something with Robin that was likely to end in a mess. A crash followed.

“I’m okay!”

“Of course he is,” Zane muttered to himself.

Ty reappeared, handed Zane Robin and then darted off to wherever the crash had come from. A half hour later Ty reappeared after some muffled cursing and soft thumps.

“What did you do?”

“I maybe, sort of, ran into a shelving unit while sliding on the floor.”

“Sliding on the floor?” Zane raised a brow. Then Ty wiggled his socked-feet. “Oh. Sliding on the floor. Where are your aviators?”

Ty laughed. “Tom Cruise, I ain’t.”

“Also, you’re going to the doctor tomorrow. With Robin and me.”

Ty shuddered. “At least it’s not for me.”

*****************************************

Zane glanced around in horror at all the tiny little person chairs spread about the doctor’s waiting room. He and Ty would never fit in one of those.

A toddler flew by screaming at the top of his lungs followed closely by an adult female. The boy held some type of hard toy upraised in his little fist. The toy bashed Zane in the shin and he flinched, hunching around Robin.

Ty’s entire body moved into battle-mode before he could figure out that the little boy was the cause of Zane’s pain. Ty’s eyes were huge.

A couple of women, presumably mothers, held small babies against a wall with normal sized chairs. The babies cooed, gurgled, and whimpered. Zane headed that way. At least they would fit in the chairs. Ty curled into his side as they waited, watching all the activity.

Zane clocked three small children playing with blocks in the center of the room, four mothers with infants, and another four adults watching the young children playing. The screaming boy who greeted them had disappeared, likely for his appointment. Zane didn’t hear any screaming, so at least the sound-proofing was good.

“This is like torture, Zane.”

“Ty, it’s fine. Robin is going to have to go to preschool and school, so we’ll be around a lot of toddlers.” Zane wanted to shudder, but Ty was on edge enough.

“Not the kids. The parents.”

“What about the parents?”

“They’re just staring at us.”

Zane hadn’t noticed the staring, but now that Ty mentioned it a couple of the infant parents and all of the young child parents were staring at them. Or maybe the way Ty was tightly clutching at Zane’s hand.

A doctor or nurse appeared at the door followed by a woman soothing a red-faced young child. No lollipops then. Zane could’ve bribed Ty with one.

“Why are we here again?”

“Because Robin needs his shots.”

“Sounds like we’re talking about a dog.”

“You don’t like dogs.”

“Not the point, Zane.”

“Vaccinations are important.”

Ty held up a hand to cut Zane off. “I heard it already, Skippy.”

Zane shrugged a little. During his researching for a doctor had come across the anti-vaccine movement, which scared the ever-loving shit out of him. He might have told Ty about it. More than once.

A little girl stumbled in the middle over a stuffed toy of some kind, before a little boy grabbed the toy and ran over towards the chairs Ty and Zane were in. The boy started screaming for his mom while waving the toy.

“Is that yours?”

He ran by Ty, who snatched it right out of his hand.

“Sorry, ma’am, I think it belongs to the little girl. There.”

The little girl in question was now sobbing quietly.

“Damien, stop picking on your sister,” the mother scolded.

Ty got up and went to the little girl and presented her toy. The girl reached for it very slowly, before taking it. Her smile could’ve lit up any room. Clearly Ty was instantly smitten as well because she was hugging him and he was smiling. Then Ty was dragged off to help the girl play with something else.

Zane settled in to watch quietly.

“Are you two together?” a woman asked from a few chairs over.

“Yes. He’s my husband.”

She started asking about Robin and the time flew by. The nurse came out looking for them and Ty left the little girl to join them.

Robin was doing fairly well for a child that came with a history of not liking new stimuli. No screaming, just some crying when he was weighed or held by the nurse for inspection.

The doctor looked him over too and Robin stopped crying completely. Zane thought that was a good sign, before the doctor readied the first of four shots. Ty looked wary, too. The first shot went in quickly before the ear-shattering screaming started.

Ty cringed and covered his ears. Zane sighed and barely resisted the urge to do the same, since he only had one hand. And now he had none as Robin started trying to roll himself out of Zane’s arms or punch him in the nose.

“Zane, I don’t think I can do this.”

“Really?”

“The crying.”

Zane blinked down at their son and noticed how the crying sounded. Zane looked at Ty and nodded. Ty bolted like his ass was on fire.

The doctor looked from Zane to the door where Ty was and back.

“Veteran.”

The doctor looked at the baby and then slowly nodded. “Ready for the next one?”

It took 15 minutes to get all of them done since after the second one Robin was kicking too hard to get another for a few minutes. Zane felt like his ears were bleeding and there might be a ringing in one ear. He took some time in the hallway to let him stop crying and for the doctor to have his room back, before heading back into the waiting room for Ty. Once the screaming became whimpering, they could go find Ty.

Zane came into complete chaos. Paper appeared to be strewn about the waiting room with the kids running in a circle around Ty. Ty was curled into a little person’s chair with some paper on his head.

“Are we the king of children now?”

Ty looked up and his cheeks turned pink. “It wasn’t purpose, I swear.”

“What were you thinking?”

“I was just playing!”

“Why are you a king? And also, can we leave without taking them all with us?”

Ty looked confused for a moment before letting the last question go. “I am a king because I solved the toy dispute. Someone’s parent told their kid the story of Solomon, so apparently that makes me king.”

“Alright, kids. King Ty needs to go home, now.”

The kids all groaned and “awwwed” but Ty fell out of his tiny throne then scrambled to his feet.

“Bobby okay?”

“He didn’t like it, but he is the picture of health.”

“I’m sorry, buddy. That screaming just hurts Daddy deep down, okay?”

Zane handed Robin over, so Ty could keep murmuring to his son about PTSD. This was one of the times that Zane wished he could hurt someone for leaving so many invisible scars on Ty. Ty couldn’t even comfort his own son because the screaming was too similar to something he’d heard in battle. He knew it hurt Ty to leave that room as much as it would’ve hurt him to stay. Zane placed his hand in the small of Ty’s back and ushered them out of the doctor’s office.


	16. Chapter 16

Ty stared at his evil, evil husband. “I can’t believe you made me do this.”

“You saw how much Robin liked the horses.”

“He doesn’t know any better!”

“Ty, the horse is not going to eat you.”

“No, it’s just going to dump me and leave me to die in the fucking sand.”

“Language. And I’ll be right behind you, jackass.”

“Language?” Ty started to snicker. Zane kept trying to stop cursing in front of Bobby, but it wasn’t working.

Zane looked down at the baby bouncing in front of him, then placed his hands over both Bobby’s ears. “Fuck you, asshole.”

“Feel better, Garret?”

Zane dropped his hands to take up the reins again. “Not really. And I think Annie might help your mom kill us when Robin starts cursing.”

Ty huffed out a laugh before the horse shifted away from Zane’s making Ty grab wildly for the mane. The horse tossed its head in protest. “Well, stop moving then.”

Zane started laughing at Ty and his horse whickered at Ty’s horse making it sound like everyone but Robin was laughing at him.

“Fuck you, all!”

“Language.”

“Fuck your fucking language shit.”

“So mature.”

Ty huffed, but quieted and let Zane lead them down the trail, since Zane claimed to have some plan. The air was crisp and cool, but December in Texas was nothing like December in Bluefield. The sand and tall, tree-like cacti were nothing like the snow covered woods back home. Ty missed the smell of snow and rotting leaves. Sand just got in all his crevices and made having sex a risky idea. It burns. Robin’s first Christmas and they were spending it in Texas with Zane’s family. After what Beverly had put them through, Ty felt like she didn’t deserve this gift. Ty wanted to be spending it with _his_ family. In the mountains. With snow. It was more festive.

“Ty,” Zane said softly.

Ty snapped his head up to look at Zane. Zane’s forehead was scrunched up, but his eyes were soft.

“We’re here.”

Ty looked around at the flat space that was surrounded by more flat space. “Where’s here?”

“Just help me unload the baby stuff.”

Ty huffed again, then slid off the horse to help Zane. Zane got down gracefully then swaggered off a few feet before lying a blanket down on the least rocky patch of sand. Zane settled the baby carefully in the middle of the blanket and then turned his swagger back at Ty. Damn Zane, he was being all sexy.

Zane grabbed Ty by the hips and kissed him lightly on the lips. “You’re hating every minute of this aren’t you?”

Ty shrugged.

“Come sit with me.” Zane tugged at Ty’s hips again before dropping his hands. He settled himself on the blanket next to Robin and Ty followed, flopping gracelessly to the ground. Landing hurt his sore hand.

Zane started digging around in the diaper bag before pulling out a small wrapped package. Ty glared suspiciously but carefully opened the package. Bobby grabbed a corner of the paper and started waving it around making both of them laugh. Inside a plain box Ty found a Christmas ornament. It was a tiger with “Baby’s 1st Christmas” hugged to its chest.

“Zane.”

“I know. I’m a sap.”

“Maybe. But you’re my sap.” They both laughed. It was adorable and made his teeth hurt, just a little. “You dragged me out into the desert to give me a tiger ornament for Bobby?”

“No. Look.” Zane pointed over Ty’s shoulder. Sure enough the sun was setting and it was spectacular. “I used to come out here to paint. I know you don’t think I have to go this far to find some a place to see the sunset and paint, but you’d be surprised.”

Ty smiled and then rearranged himself so that he could lean on Zane’s shoulder. “Maybe. Maybe not, but it is a great view.”

They sat quietly for a while, just enjoying the peace and their son happily waving paper around.

“Why is this the place you went?” Ty finally asked.

“I found this spot the day Annie was born. My horse at the time had wandered off and I was too busy wondering what having a sister was going to be like. The usual childhood thoughts, I guess. Anyway, it just felt peaceful here. It’s far enough away from the ranch and any traveled trails that the sound doesn’t carry. The area around here is just flat enough that the sun seems to melt into the ground.”

“Did you like having a little sister?”

“Eventually, yeah. She was too young to really play with and my mother didn’t encourage playing with her anyway. But she was a bright spark in the house. She breathed life into rooms I was too scared to make noise in.”

“I was always glad I never had a sister. When I was young, I thought girls were just kids you messed with, thought were pretty, dropped frogs on and then ran away. When I was older, I was really glad. I didn’t want a sister of mine doing the things I did with some girls.”

Zane chuckled. “I was married and living in Austin during most of her teenage years.”

They both shuddered.

Ty turned to Robin. “Am I glad we weren’t given a girl.”

Zane barked out a laugh. Robin squealed, in approval Ty thought. Zane grabbed up the paper as one of the horses started to snort loudly.

“Ready to face my mother again?” Zane asked, starting to shuffle around to gather up their things.

Ty looked at the horizon. “I guess we have to head back.”

“I know you didn’t want to spend the holidays with my family, but we needed to do this.”

“I know. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

“Suck it up, Grady.”

“You put me on this horse, you can fuck yourself.”

“I’m not that flexible.” Zane put the last of their belongs in the saddle bags and swung up onto his horse with Robin settled in front of him. The baby carrier should have made him look ridiculous, but Ty just want to get Zane naked.

Ty climbed up into the saddle of his horse and glared. “I hate you.”

“Love you, too, Ty.” His voice was soft and serious.

Ty smiled. “I love what Texas does to you.”

“And we’ll go see your tigers tomorrow.”

“Thank you.”


	17. Chapter 17

Zane could tell that visiting the tigers really lifted Ty’s mood. Ty was practically vibrating in place again and didn’t seem to be sulking anymore. Watching Ty airplane their son around helped with that impression too.

The frown on his mother’s face made Zane want to laugh. Ty was swooping the baby up and down, making buzzing sounds while Robin shrieked with glee. Zane’s mother was watching this action intensely, maybe fearing Ty would drop him during the more spectacular dives. Zane knew Ty would never drop him, special forces training had to be good for something, after all.

Ty came flying at Zane forcing a laugh from Zane as Robin landed carefully on his shoulders. The baby giggled and yanked at Zane’s hair. Zane grabbed on to his legs to hold him and then placed a hand on his back to steady him. He kissed Ty briefly before bouncing gently.

“Are you sure that’s safe?” Beverly finally questioned. Zane had mentally placed a bet on how long she’d be able to hold that thought. He lost; it took her 20 minutes longer than he’d thought it would.

“Yes, Mother. It’s fine.” He turned his back to her and wiggled his fingers. “Look. He’s supported.”

She huffed at him, but let it go.

“He’s looking real good, Z. You two handling all this baby stuff, okay?” Harrison asked.

“As well as can be expected, I guess,” Ty answered. “It’s all sleep deprivation, playing, diaper changes, and buckets of fear.”

Harrison laughed. Hard. Even Beverly smiled at Ty’s description.

“There was one time I was watching my niece alone.”

Zane groaned.

“And we were crawling around on the floor and somehow she crawled over a dead bee and got stung. By the time, I figured out what had happened she was sobbing her little eyes out. So, I took her upstairs to get some anti-sting stuff, but the stupid cabinet wouldn’t open. I, um… Accidentally pulled the medicine cabinet off the wall. It smacked me in the face since I had to protect her from it. And Zane had to come save us.”

“He was a mess. But it was fine. They hid in the bathtub while I cleaned up. And we got new drywall in the bathroom since it was weak.”

Harrison was laughing again. Beverly’s lips were twitching like she wasn’t sure if she should frown or laugh. _Welcome to life with Ty, Mother_ , Zane thought.

“Last time one of our kids got stung by a bee, I think Annie just pulled the stinger out and walked herself to the anti-sting stuff. She was 5.”

Zane wondered if that was why she made such a good vet.

“If Bobby could do that by 5, I’ll be saved from falling medicine cabinets. That might be in his best interests.”

Even Robin giggled.

“You hear that little man? You need to be able to take care of your own boo-boos. Daddy Ty is going to freak out.”

“Daddy Ty?” Zane’s mother echoed.

“We couldn’t decide on if we should have different names or not, so we’ve been saying ‘daddy Ty’ or ‘daddy Zane.’ We figure he’ll come up with his own eventually.”

“Huh,” Harrison grunted.

“I guess that makes sense.”

“I want to see the baby, Momma!” Sadie’s voice echoed into the house.

“He’ll be here. You need to walk in the house Sadie,” Annie scolded.

“Hey, our babysitter is here,” Ty laughed. He’d been abandoned in favor of their son as her favorite person.

“She’s still too young to be left alone with a baby,” Beverly admonished.

Ty just quietly rolled his eyes. Like that would happen. Unless Robin was with Ty’s mother or brother, Zane doubted Ty would leave him unsupervised with anyone. But Zane pulled Robin down from his perch so that Sadie could see him.

“Baby!” Sadie screamed into the room, in Zane’s general direction. She ran right up to him and held out her arms. Zane still hesitated even though he and Annie had helped her hold him just yesterday, but she was still so little. And his baby. Annie came around the corner and smiled at him.

“Hang on, baby girl. Let me help you,” Annie said. Zane knelt to help her little arms curl around his even smaller son. She got a good grip and settled him on her hip like a pro. She turned to her mother and grandmother with the biggest grin Zane had ever seen. That girl was going to be deadly when she was all grown up.

“See, Momma, I can hold the baby.”

The mother in question was furiously taking phone pictures. Zane turned to check on Ty and found his husband doing the same. Zane sometimes forgot just how much of a giant softie Ty could be. Ty glanced up and caught Zane staring at him. Ty blushed a little before putting his phone away. Ty knelt down to talk to Sadie and keep an eye on Robin, so Zane finally got to greet his sister and her husband who had followed them into the room.

“Hey, Zane. I’m sorry, she’s just taken with the baby.” She glanced at her husband. “I guess having only the one wasn’t the best thing for her.”

“It was best for us though. This just might guilt you into coming back to Texas more. Sadie needs to spend time with her cousin.” Mark smiled at Zane.

Zane laughed. “Maybe.”

Zane looked over his shoulder to see Ty dancing with Sadie and Robin in the middle of the room, with no music and his mother and father smiling at them. The fake Christmas tree and presents behind them made the scene something out of a made-for-tv movie. The only thing missing was snow falling in the window behind them.

Ty hated that fake Christmas tree and whined about the sand and lack of snow. He missed his family, but watching him dance with his son and niece, Zane knew he’d found happiness. Ty’s ability to find joy in the simple things really resonated with kids and Zane knew opening presents tonight would help. The Gradys preferred Christmas day opening, so they could Skype with Deuce and still get to be part of watching Amelia open the gifts they sent.

Tonight, Zane would get to reconnect with the family he thought he’d lost along the way and finally found again. 


	18. Chapter 18

Ty heard the bang. He might have even felt it, but for some reason all he could feel was Robin whacking him in the chest and screaming at him. He was too shocked to even roll over.

“Ty!” Zane’s shout seemed far away, but so loud that it rang in his head.

“Quiet,” he rasped out. Or thought he had.

“Ty! Is Robin okay? Are you okay?”

Zane was just as loud, if not louder. Ty felt the tiny thumps stop, but he couldn’t quite see why Bobby stopped. That was weird.

“Ty, can you hear me?”

Ty groaned and this time he knew he made the sound as it echoed in his head.

“I’ll take that as a yes. Just stay there for a moment. I’m going to check on Robin.”

Footsteps thumped across the wood and got less loud, so Zane was heading away. Ty tried to blink his eyes, but nothing happened. Everything was just hazy white. He wiggled his fingers and toes and it felt like they moved. So, that was good. Now, why couldn’t he see or get up?

“Ty?”

He grunted a noise that stood for “Yes?”

“Hey, just focus on me for a second, okay?”

Ty blinked hard a couple of times and a darker shape finally appeared in the hazy white. He figured that was Zane. “Bobby, okay?”

“Yes, he’s fine. Just angry that Daddy Ty fell over the coffee table and hit his head.”

At least Ty knew he was making words out loud. “Didn’t fall on him?”

“Not that I saw. Now, why aren’t you moving?” Zane’s fingers grazed Ty’s forehead.

“Stunned,” he muttered and blinked hard again. Slowly Zane’s face came into focus. The ceiling overhead became clearer and Ty could see a spot that might need to be looked at for mold or just painted over.

“Well shake it off, Marine.”

Ty grunted again, not amused. “Help me up.”

Zane started assessing the state of Ty’s head, something Ty hadn’t thought to do, but now that he was paying attention something hurt. It hurt a lot. Zane poked it.

“Fuck!”

“Yep, you’ve got a lump there.”

Ty bolted up right, batting Zane’s hand away. “No shit, Sherlock.”

The world tilted a little before righting itself. Ty decided not to try to stand just yet.

“Doctor?”

Ty shook his head, then stopped abruptly, since it hurt. “No, it’ll be fine. I think.”

“This from the guy who wanted to stay in the hospital last time he got a concussion.”

“From the moron who got blown up and lost his vision.”

“Fuck you. Follow my finger?”

“No. It’s fine. Not much worse than when Kelly shot me with the bean bag. Which hurt like a bitch.” Ty slowly started climbing to his feet and wobbled his way over to Bobby in the bassinet. “Hey, buddy. Daddy’s sorry, kiddo.”

“What were you doing anyway?”

“Escape and evasion tactics.”

“From?”

“Squirrels. What else?”

“Why does this involve you not wearing pants?”

Ty looked down at his boxer shorts and shrugged. “The squirrels would’ve climbed up my pants.”

Zane shook his head.

Ty looked back at Robin and then scooped him back up. The small fists weren’t pummeling at him anymore but Bobby didn’t look happy either. “I’m sorry, buddy.”

Zane’s hand on his back was soft as it caressed from his neck to his waist. “You sure you’re okay, Ty?”

Ty shrugged and pulled Bobby in closer. “Not really, my head hurts and I don’t know if I hurt Bobby.”

Ty wanted to run his hands all over Bobby and look for injuries, but since he was relaxed and quietly sucking his thumb in Ty’s arms, he couldn’t. A not screaming baby was a good thing, so says Ty’s ears. Ty picked his way carefully back to the couch and sat down, starting to feel the part of his shin that had connected with the offending piece of furniture. The brief run from the backyard, ripping his pants off, and then tripping violently over the coffee table likely looked something Charlie Chaplin would’ve done, but the reality… Not something Ty wanted to relive, at least not with his 10-month-old baby in his arms. Nine months ago, that same series of actions would have been hilarious and ended with Ty doing to a ninja roll over the couch.

The couch dipped as Zane sank down next to Ty and started to knead Ty’s neck. “Something else is going on here.”

“That should’ve been funny. We should be sitting here laughing our asses off at my stupid antics, not worried about Robin’s safety.” Robin pulled his thumb out and blew a spit bubble to make his daddies laugh. He only got a watery smile from Ty. He started babbling to himself and then Ty smiled and hugged him close again. “Love you, bubby.”

Zane rubbed his neck some more, absently. “We’re parents now, Ty. Things changed. Robin is fine.”

The baby in question let out a particularly loud “ah” sound.

“Clearly,” Zane continued. “And I want to laugh at your ridiculous run through the house half-naked, but I can’t because you’re upset about it. I have no idea why you didn’t tuck and roll with the baby or what happened there, but I know you’d _never_ do anything to hurt him on purpose.”

“But I might on accident?” Ty glared at him.

“So could I. On accident. It could’ve been me reading instead of looking where I was walking and tripping up that first step. You’ve seen me do it. It might have been just as bad if I’d been holding Robin at the time.”

Ty wanted to be comforted. Zane’s words made perfect sense, but Ty still felt guilty. Maybe it was irrational, since Ty had been fleeing for his life, even if no one else understood how crafty and scary squirrels were, but he still put Bobby in danger. That hurt.

“Stop blaming yourself, Ty. You didn’t mean it, it might not have even been avoidable. He’s going to get hurt, eventually. Hell, you’re raising him. I expect many emergency room visits when he’s old enough to start moving around on his own.”

Ty started to snicker.

“How many things did you break or how many times did your parents drive you to the doctor for broken arms or legs?”

“Hey! I never broke anything, until I joined the marines.”

“Well I broke my arm and had too many cuts and bruises to count and you know who I grew up with. And I’m not a Grady.”

Ty smiled down at their son as he started squirming away from Ty and towards the ground. Ty set him down and let him start slowing crawling around. “Okay, I hear you.”

The little diapered bottom wiggled a little as Bobby got going.

“Grady boys are dangerous, huh?”

“Yep.”

“We’ve got healthcare, right?”

“Yes, Ty. I’m married to you. I made sure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I seem to keep hurting Ty. I have no idea what this says about me. :P

**Author's Note:**

> There is no set plot for this, so if you have a scenario you'd like to see the boys go through, let me know. I'll take requests. :) You can leave it here or over on my tumblr (angielitfan01). Hope you enjoyed! :)


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